People with Kids
by orange-sunshiine
Summary: Steve decides to do Natasha and Clint a favor and carry their child for them. Mpreg. Sequel to "Naive". Steve/Tony, Clint/Natasha. Loki comes in at Chapter 8, if you're looking for him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I took down my old story "Family Life" because I didn't like where it was going. After much thought I decided to try another Captain America mpreg again, but with a different plot line. So here it is. This takes place after Naive. Also, the title comes from a quote my friend said - "Parents are people with kids." Think about it.**

Ch. 1

Natasha and Clint had thought long and hard about going to Steve. It was a lot to ask of anyone. With Steve being both male and a super hero, it was an even tougher thing to ask.

What pushed both of them over the edge was Natasha's third miscarriage. She and Clint had been trying for a baby for quite some time, both wanting to step out of their roles at SHIELD to start a family. This last time she had been pregnant for three and a half months when she lost it.

Of course, Natasha was devastated. Clint was too, but he tried to keep it together for his girlfriend's sake. When she finally recovered, they made their move.

00

Steve was working out in the fitness center when Clint and Natasha approached him. He had been doing pull ups when he saw his teammates walk in.

"Hey," he greeted them, letting go of the bar.

Thinking that maybe this was a bad time, Natasha began to back out.

"We're sorry," she said, taking a step back, "You're obviously busy. We'll talk another time."

Steve looked at her like she had three heads.

"I was close to done. You know I always have time for my friends. What's going on?"

Clint and Natasha looked at each other nervously before turning back to Steve. Having this conversation seemed scarier than all of their past missions combined.

"We have a favor to ask of you," Clint started.

"A huge favor. Massive," Natasha added.

"O...kay. Shoot."

"Well. You know how we haven't been around much lately?" Clint asked.

"Well, yeah. But I figured you guys had some important work to do together or something."

Clint and Natasha looked at each other again, and Clint wrapped an arm around the redhead.

"It wasn't... It wasn't that," Natasha said, unable to look Steve in the eyes. The whole experience was still painful to her and she feared she might cry. "It was... We...I had a miscarriage."

Steve's eyes grew wide.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Tasha... And Clint...I had no idea."

Natasha shook her head.

"We were keeping it secret. There were two others in the past. We felt that if we got to four months it would be safe to tell everyone, but we only made it three and a half."

Clint hugged Natasha a little harder.

"I'm really, truly sorry to hear that," Steve replied. "But what does this...Oh."

Clint sighed.

"You carried Lizzie for nine months and she came out fine, and you're super strong and most of all we trust you."

Natasha nodded in agreement.

"That is the biggest thing. You are a good man. Besides being physically capable of doing what I cannot, there is no one else who we would trust more to carry our child. That is, of course, if you agreed to it."

Steve took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.

"I'm honored that you would consider me for something so personal to you, but I really need to talk it over with Tony first, if that's alright with you. I mean, it's a huge responsibility, and I'd have to step down as Captain of the team, and Tony would have to deal with me being pissy and moody for another nine months."

The last part of Steve's statement made Natasha smirk.

"Absolutely. We understand. Let us know what you decide. We would obviously help out in any way possible, so Tony would not be alone in dealing with you, for lack of better words."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Yeah, let me talk to him. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Alright," Clint agreed. "And thank you, for at least considering it."

Steve forced a smile.

"Of course."

00

"I think you should do it."

Steve raised an eyebrow. He had just told Tony about Natasha and Clint's proposal. Even though Tony was a genius, he figured that the man would at least consider everything for more than a minute.

"You know what this would entail, right?" Steve asked.

Tony nodded and took a sip of his drink - scotch on the rocks.

"You being moody and fat for a few months. Yeah, I get it. But you'd be doing a really good thing."

"Since when do you care about doing good?"

Tony frowned and finished the drink off.

"To be completely honest, ever since we had Lizzie, a lot has changed. I've never loved someone like I love her, or like I love you. It seems wrong to not help two people who want to experience the same thing."

Steve was taken back by this.

"You really mean that?"

"I do. Besides, you're kind of cute when you're pregnant. Wow, it feels weird saying that." Tony shook his head and poured himself another glass. "The main thing that you should be concerned with is the pre-eclampsia. Not sure if you'd really want to go through another few months of bed-rest if it happens again. It would be totally understandable if you didn't, by the way."

"That's a good point," Steve agreed. He leaned back against the bar and looked out across the room. Lizzie was sitting near Lokitty, reading to him from a storybook that Tony had bought her. She was only three and a half but she definitely had Tony's intellect.

Steve stared at his daughter for a moment. Tony was right. He knew it. At the very least Natasha would probably make a good mother, and he would survive any complications from the pregnancy, so realistically it would just mean a few months of discomfort.

"I'll talk to Bruce about it," Steve finally said. "They said they wanted me to carry their baby, so I guess that means it would really be theirs. DNA and all that. I'll see what's involved with it and go from there."

Tony smiled at him.

"Sounds fair to me."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

"Wow. Well, I can see why they would ask you," Bruce said, as he sat down next to Steve.

The soldier had come to discuss Natasha and Clint's request.

"Yeah," Steve replied. "But I don't really know much about it. It would be their child, right? Like genetically?"

Bruce nodded, "For what they seem to want, yes. The term used for it is gestational surrogacy. An embryo would be created using Natasha's eggs and Clint's sperm and it would be implanted into you. Genetically it would be their child, you would just be carrying it."

"I see. What would I have to do? Besides show up to be implanted?"

"You'd have to take medication for a few days to prepare your body for the embryos to give yourself the greatest chance of becoming pregnant. Then we'd transplant the embryos over. Truthfully, I'd probably want to get another doctor involved. I know a woman who has extensive experience with this type of thing and who would keep her mouth shut about it."

"Maybe. How would the embryos be transplanted?"

Bruce blushed, "Well, ah, we'd have to insert a catheter through the same route through which you got pregnant last time."

Steve was less bothered by this than Bruce was.

"Makes sense. What about the potential problems, though? There was the pre-eclampsia issue back when I was pregnant with Lizzie. Could that happen again?"

"It could. Thankfully you would almost surely recover from it if it did."

"Yeah."

There was a short silence before Bruce spoke up again.

"Have you talked to Tony about this?"

"I have. He thinks I should do it. If I want to, of course."

"Really?" Bruce was surprised.

"Yeah, he says that it's wrong to deny Natasha and Clint the chance to be parents. I didn't expect him to be game for it."

"Me either. The choice is up to you in the end though. Don't do it because you feel pressured. It will mean nine months where you cannot lead the team if any emergencies break out. It may mean several months of discomfort too."

"Man, Fury would be pissed about me not being able to participate with the team again."

Bruce shrugged.

"Screw Fury. He would get over it."

"True. He did last time."

Bruce nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna think about it a little more and get back to you, if that's alright," Steve said. "Thanks for the information."

"No problem at all."

00

Steve didn't hear from Natasha or Clint much at all over the next few days. They would see each other in passing, but that was it. Neither of them mentioned anything about their request. Steve figured that they were probably trying not to pressure him.

For a while he went through the pros and cons of helping them. There were all the issues he talked about with Bruce. On top of that there were the potential issues with Tony. There had been a lot of drama when Steve was pregnant with Lizzie, and Steve was a little nervous that it might happen again. At the same time, he felt that he and Tony had moved past that phase of their relationship. They'd been committed to each other for three years now and Tony had not yet strayed.

He finally made up his mind a week after Natasha and Clint had first approached him. He had taken Lizzie to the pre-k that she typically spent the day at when he saw another parent walk in with their child. From behind, the woman looked much like Natasha. Red hair, athletic figure. She was holding her daughter's hand as they went inside.

It was typical for the parents to help their children put their belongings in their little lockers in the hallway. Steve helped Lizzie take her tiny backpack and jacket off and watched the woman. She was kneeling down on one knee, helping her little girl take her coat off. The girl was smiling and reached out for a hug as soon as her mother's hands were empty.

"Now you'll be good today, right?" The woman asked, before giving her kid a kiss on the forehead.

"Yes mommy," the little girl replied.

"And what do we say before you go?"

The little girl smiled again.

"I love you mommy! I'll miss you!"

The woman hugged her daughter once again.

"I love you and I'll miss you too, but I'll see you this afternoon."

"Okay mommy," the little girl answered.

A second later she ran towards the classroom door, and her mother stood up. For a split second, she looked at Steve. She smiled at him then quickly walked away.

That was when he decided to do it. The display of love he had just seen had been what pushed him over. He could imagine Natasha bringing her son or daughter to school, and kissing them goodbye, and playing with them. He could imagine Clint and Natasha taking their child out for a walk, and giving him or her a hug. He had been lucky enough to experience stuff like that every day with Lizzie and Tony.

He had to do it. It was the right thing to do.

Smiling to himself, he walked back to the tower, ready to tell everyone what he had decided.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. One of my parents got cancer, have not had time to write.**

Ch. 3

Natasha and Clint were ecstatic when Steve told them his decision. Natasha was so happy that she cried, and Clint repeatedly told Steve how grateful he was for Steve's agreement to help.

Once Bruce was notified, he called in his friend. Intrigued by the prospect of working with a male pregnancy, Dr. Yeh opened up her schedule.

00

The first time Steve met her was when he, Natasha, Clint and Tony went to meet with Bruce to go over the procedure. Dr. Yeh - a renowned obstetrician- had already met with Natasha previously, and she had some things to discuss.

Steve had to admit that he was surprised by the doctor's appearance. She was a short, thin Asian woman with short black hair and glasses. She wore a blouse and a skirt and would have looked completely professional if not for the large tattoos on her calf and forearms. A woman with tattoos wasn't something that was common back in Steve's time, but he did his best to be open minded about it.

"Hello," the doctor greeted him. "I am Ami Yeh." She reached out to shake his hand.

"Steve Rogers," the blonde replied.

The doctor smiled at him.

"It is nice to meet you. I have known Bruce for quite a while, and he has always spoken highly of you."

Steve smiled.

"That's good to know. He has spoken highly of you too. Said that you're a good doctor."

Dr. Yeh nodded.

"That is what I am told! Now, I've already given Ms. Romanov a physical exam, and I have already spoken to her and Mr. Barton." She motioned for everyone to follow her to a group of chairs, "Perhaps we should sit down."

Once everyone was seated, Dr. Yeh began flipping through the notes on her clipboard.

"What we would plan to do is implant an embryo in you that was created using Ms. Romanov's eggs and Mr. Barton's sperm. It appears as though Ms. Romanov can produce eggs, but cannot carry a baby to term because of womb structure abnormalities. The child would thus not be related to you genetically. It would be related to Ms. Romanov and Mr. Barton."

"You can call us Natasha and Clint," the redhead cut in.

Dr. Yeh smiled at her.

"Thank you. And you may all call me Ami. So, to prepare for the implantation, we would have to work on synchronizing on Steve's cycle with Natasha's. This could be done using birth control pills and other drugs, if necessary. When that is done, you would both begin hormonal therapy. Steve, you would be given estrogen, Natasha would be given a drug to stimulate egg production. We would retrieve Natasha's eggs and Clint's sperm and the eggs would be fertilized. Once the embryos develop we would implant them in Steve."

"That doesn't sound too complex," Steve remarked. He looked at Tony, then at Natasha and Clint. "I'm up for it so long as you all still are."

Natasha and Clint both grinned and agreed that they were, and Tony took Steve's hand.

"You're doing a really good thing, Steve. I'll be there to support you all the way."

00

The next several weeks went by quickly. Steve, Natasha and Clint all started their relevant procedures, and it wasn't too long before Ami implanted Steve with the embryos.

A few days after the implantation the soldier's whole demeanor had changed. He found himself to be in a really good mood almost all the time. Besides that, he seemed to always be hungry. Ami did a test just to confirm it.

Natasha and Clint were happy, but were trying to avoid getting too excited, lest something go wrong with the pregnancy.

Since he wasn't having any really bad symptoms, Steve continued on with his regular schedule minus the extreme workouts that he usually did.

He still took Lizzie to school each morning, for instance. One day, he ran into the woman that he had seen previously.

"Good morning," he greeted her, as both of them walked their children inside.

It was a gorgeous day and he was in an exceptionally great mood.

The woman looked at him.

"Hello. I've seen you before... You're one of the Avengers, yes?"

The woman had a British accent, and Steve couldn't help but remember Peggy. He quickly forced the thought from his mind.

"Yes, I am. I believe that our children are both in Ms. Laurel's class."

"That they are. This is Kara," she said, looking down at her daughter. "I'm Gwyneth, by the way."

"Steve Rogers. You can just call me Steve though. This is Lizzie."

Being a little bit shy, Lizzie held on to Steve's leg, though she did weakly wave at Kara.

"It's very nice to meet you both."

Steve and Gwyneth led their children towards the lockers and helped them remove the backpacks. After leaving the kids with their teacher, the two walked out together.

"So you're from England?" Steve asked.

"Yes, we just came over recently," Gwyneth answered. "I'm still trying to find my way around."

"It's just the two of you, then?"

Gwyneth nodded. "It is. Unfortunately my husband passed a year ago."

Steve frowned.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Gwyneth shook her head.

"It was hard, but life goes on. I, um, don't mean to be rude, but I recall reading about you and Tony Stark, was it?"

Steve blushed.

"Ah… Yeah. We've been together for a while. He's Lizzie's other father."

The blonde forced a smile. Telling people about the situation with himself and Tony was always unnerving, even though most people already knew about it.

"That's very sweet."

Steve could tell that Gwyneth wanted to ask further questions, but was stopping herself. To an extent Steve appreciated it. He didn't feel like going through the whole thing right then and there with someone he barely knew. The two walked to the end of the block in silence.

"Well, I have to go that way," Gwyneth said, pointing to the left.

"And I have to go the other way. It was nice talking to you, though."

"I agree. I'll see you in the afternoon, then?"

Steve nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you then."

00

Every morning for the next week, Steve would meet with Gwyneth and the two would walk their children in together. Lizzie had gotten to know Kara a little better, and the two had made friends.

Though they came from very different worlds, Steve enjoyed talking to Gwyneth. It was nice to speak to someone who could relate to the ups and downs of raising a child. Besides that, both of them had experience with the loss of a loved one. Their meetings were short, but meaningful.

Then one day, about a month after the procedure, Steve woke up one morning and found himself making a mad dash to the bathroom to avoid throwing up all over the bed.

Tony had been there to help him through it, but things only got worse as the day progressed. Not only would Steve throw up anything he tried to eat, but even the smell of certain foods made him nauseas.

By five that evening, Steve was feeling very weak and tired. Tony dragged him down to Bruce's lab for a checkup. Both men were surprised to see that Ami was there, sitting next to Bruce. The two were looking at something on Bruce's computer and laughing amongst themselves.

Tony cleared his throat to get their attention. Both immediately turned around.

"Tony, Steve, how are you?" Bruce stood up.

"You two look like you're having a good time," Tony remarked.

Bruce blushed, "We just came across a funny physics joke." He glanced at Ami, who grinned.

"Does a radioactive cat have 18 half-lives?"

Both Bruce and Ami started laughing again, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Really? That's lame."

"Aw, come on," Bruce chided him. "You have no sense of humor."

Tony looked at Steve, who merely shrugged.

"I have no idea what any of you are talking about."

Bruce shook his head, "Nor should you. Ami is interested in atomic physics as well. Now, what can I do for you? You're looking a bit under the weather."

"I've been throwing up all day," Steve explained. "If I even smell certain things I get sick. I was fine up until today though."

This time Ami spoke up.

"You look dehydrated. Can you keep liquids down?"

"No," Tony answered. "He can't even take water."

"Well, then, I would suggest hooking him up to an iv for now," Ami said, looking at Bruce.

"We can do that. Here, get him over to the bed." Bruce walked over to the hospital bed that was kept in the event of an emergency.

Tony wrapped his arm around Steve's waist and led him over.

"There you go," Tony whispered, as he pulled a blanket over Steve's body. Ami, meanwhile, was busy swabbing Steve's arm with an alcohol swab.

Bruce pulled an iv holder over and handed Ami a sterile needle.

"Thank you. You'll feel a little pinch…" She trailed off, as she pushed the needle into Steve's skin.

Steve didn't make a sound. He was too tired to worry about the pain. Ami quickly hooked up an iv of saline.

"This bites," Steve said, eyes closed.

"On the bright side, you had almost a full month of happiness," Tony replied.

Steve didn't answer. He was already asleep.

"Let him stay overnight," Bruce whispered. "Maybe he'll feel better tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Tony had waited with Steve for quite a while before returning to their rooms to relieve Natasha and Clint from watching Lizzie. The couple had stepped up tremendously lately and had been doing all that they could to help Steve and Tony. That included babysitting Lizzie.

The inventor walked in to find Natasha and Lizzie lying on the their stomachs in front of the television, coloring pictures on the ground. Clint was nearby "supervising".

"Hey, Tony. How is he?" Clint asked, having heard the door open.

"He's sleeping. He was pretty sick when he was first carrying Lizzie, so it's not surprising. He probably just got lucky for the first month."

Clint nodded.

"Sorry to hear that."

Right then, Lizzie sat up.

"Is daddy sick?"

Tony sighed and came closer, then took a seat on the couch.

"Daddy will be okay. He's just under the weather right now."

Lizzie got up and sat down near Tony.

"It's because he's having a baby, right?"

Tony looked at her, startled by the question. He and Steve had not yet discussed what was going on with her yet.

"Uh..." He glanced up at Natasha and Clint, "Did you guys say something about this?"

"No," both replied.

Lizzie sighed and shook her head.

"You guys are silly. I heard you all talking about it a few weeks ago. I'm not deaf, you know."

"Right. Of course. I keep forgetting that you seem to hear everything. Yes, daddy is having another baby."

"So I'll have a little brother or sister?" Lizzie looked at Tony expectantly.

Again Tony looked at Natasha and Clint, hoping for some help.

"Your daddy is helping us by having a baby because we can't," Natasha explained. "But it will be sort of like having a brother or sister, you'll see them and get to play with them."

Lizzie stared at her, and for a second the three adults all feared that the girl might get upset. The child was smart for her age and Tony didn't doubt that she had a good understanding of the situation, but she still had the emotional maturity of a four year old.

"Oh," the little girl finally said, "That's nice. I hope it's a girl!" She gave a toothy grin.

The adults breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll take her to meet Lokitty and Kali! And I'll teach her math too, and spelling, and drawing," the child rambled on and on.

Eventually she got tired of talking and went off to color once again, this time taking the coloring book with her to the kitchen. The adults were finally alone.

"That went better than expected," Clint remarked.

"She's a smart kid. And she's probably excited about having a playmate," Tony replied.

"Makes sense. Anyway, is there anything we can do?" Natasha asked, bringing the subject back to Steve.

"Not that I can think of. I mean, you can visit him tomorrow if you like. Maybe he'd like that. I'm not sure how long he'll be sick for though."

"I feel bad that this is causing him so many problems," Natasha said. "We appreciate him doing this."

"Steve is happy to do it, I'm sure. You know him. He'll suffer for the benefit of others. I think being there if he needs anything would be good enough."

"Alright, then," Clint wrapped an arm around Natasha. "We'll go down to see him tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll leave you and Lizzie. Have JARVIS call us if anything comes up."

Tony nodded in agreement, "Will do, guys. Thanks."

00

Steve woke up the next morning to find Natasha and Clint sitting near his bed and an iv in his arm. He moved to sit up, but quickly realized his mistake. The sudden movement made him feel very sick.

"Ugh," he groaned, as he ran a hand over his stomach.

Natasha pouted sympathetically.

"I made you this," she said, holding up a thermos, "It's some ginger tea. It helped me when I had morning sickness."

Steve eyed the container.

"Thank you, but I'm honestly not sure if I can handle that right now."

The sound of footsteps announced Bruce and Ami's presence.

"Hello Steve. How are you this morning?" Ami asked. She was still wearing the same clothes that she had on the night before, so Steve guessed that she had stayed over.

"Not so good." The soldier closed his eyes. "I feel really sick. And I have to go to the bathroom but I'm afraid to move."

"I looked over your chart. You had severe morning sickness previously, correct?"

"It was pretty bad with Lizzie, yeah, but I don't remember it being like this."

"I see. I'll give you an exam this morning and some metoclopramide to help with the nausea."

"Please," Steve begged. "This is awful."

Ami nodded then turned to Bruce.

"Would you mind getting that for me?"

"Sure."

Bruce walked off to get the requested medication.

Meanwhile, Steve had turned his attention to his visitors.

"Where's Tony?"

"He took Lizzie to school this morning. He said he'll come by as soon as he gets in," Clint answered.

"Oh. Okay."

Steve closed his eyes again and began to slowly rub his stomach, willing the sick feeling to stop. Thankfully, Bruce brought the iv bag back very quickly. He began to hook it up.

"You'll begin to feel better in a few minutes," Ami explained.

She was right. Soon enough the nausea was gone, though Steve still felt very weak. Clint was kind enough to help him walk over to the bathroom.

It was great having such good friends, and Steve was happy to be helping them, but he couldn't help but think how much his current predicament sucked.

00

By noon Steve was back upstairs in the quarters he shared with Tony and Lizzie. Tony was back and Lizzie was at school and Steve was propped up in bed.

"Ami said that everything seems normal," Steve said. "As normal as it can be, I mean."

"That's good, then."

"And she said that I might feel better soon but she's not sure. And she gave me these," Steve picked up a bottle of pills that was on his nightstand. "Vitamins. I have to take them every day."

"Did she give you anything for the morning sickness?"

"Yeah. There's some pills in there for that too, if it gets really bad."

Tony nodded and got up to close the door.

"I guess I might as well ask, you're not having any doubts about this, are you? Because I'd totally understand that but Natasha and Clint might not -"

"What?!" Steve interrupted him, "Why would you ask that? I feel like crud but I'm not regretting this. It's going to make Natasha and Clint really happy. Besides, I'm super strong. I'll be fine. If you hear me complaining then feel free to ignore it."

Tony frowned.

"I'd never do that. I just meant...I didn't want to have put you in a bad position. I know I pressured you into this to an extent."

Steve glared at him.

"You did not pressure me. I wanted to help them. I still want to help them."

"Okay, then. I believe you."

"Good."

Suddenly, Steve yawned.

"It's making me more tired than usual too," he added.

"I'll let you sleep, then. Pepper's going to pick up Lizzie at three. I'll make sure she stays out until you wake up."

Steve smiled and curled up on the bed, pulling the covers up higher.

"Thanks, Tony. I appreciate it."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Time went on and Steve was still very sick and tired. It wasn't uncommon for him to stay over at Bruce's lab because he was too dehydrated or weak. On the bright side, Natasha and Clint had gone out of their way to make the medical center nicer for Steve. They'd bought nice sheets for the hospital bed and a beautiful quilt to use as a comforter, along with memory foam pillows. Lizzie had even helped out by giving them a few pictures that she'd drawn. Those were taped up on the walls near the bed.

Steve appreciated their efforts - the sheets and quilt were infinitely more comfortable than the thin hospital sheets and blankets that were there previously, but he couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed. The couple seemed to always be there by his side when he was sick, fluttering around and asking a million questions.

Still, he forced himself to remain calm. His friends and teammates were just trying to help. Even Thor had given it a try by giving him some type of potion made of dragon scales - or something that sounded like "dragon scales". It was green in color and smelled awful but Thor insisted that the royal healers frequently gave it to those with nausea. Steve had never been so thankful for anything as he was when Tony managed to throw the drink out without Thor knowing.

Despite his near constant sickness, Steve didn't seem to be losing any weight. If anything, he felt bigger than he was when he had been carrying Lizzie.

At seven weeks in, Ami had an answer as to why that was. She had been doing an ultrasound when her eyes got wide.

"It all makes sense now," she said.

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"It does?"

Ami turned the screen to face Bruce, who was standing near her. Tony, Natasha and Clint crowded behind as well.

"Wow. It _does_ make sense," Bruce said, smiling.

"Uh, do you mind filling me in here?" Steve asked.

Suddenly, Natasha's jaw dropped.

"Seriously?" She asked, as she realized what she was seeing.

Clint grinned at her and took her hand.

"Can you show me?" Steve asked again, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry," Bruce answered. He turned the monitor to face Steve.

"Is that…?" Steve trailed off.

"It is," Ami replied. "You're carrying twins."

"Wow," was all Steve could say. He continued to stare at the two blobs on the monitor while Natasha squealed happily. Clint hugged her and Tony laughed. The whole thing felt surreal, and Steve wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and make everything quiet.

00

Later that evening, Steve was once again upstairs. He was lying on the couch while Lizzie sat next to him.

"There's two babies in there?" Lizzie asked, poking Steve in the belly. He wasn't even at eight weeks yet but was showing. At least, anyone who knew him well would see the difference.

"There are," Steve replied.

Lizzie considered this for a moment before adding, "Your belly's gonna be really big then."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the reminder."

Lizzie just looked at him innocently.

"Why don't you go brush Kali," Tony suggested, as he came up behind the couch. "She always likes that."

"Okay!" Lizzie agreed, walking over the where she kept the baby brushes for the cats.

"That was simple," Steve remarked.

"You know how she likes the cats. So how are you doing?"

"I… Don't know," Steve answered, honestly. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel. Happiness? I'm kind of nervous about what having twins will do. I knew it was a possibility...Ami implanted three embryos, and all... I guess I just didn't think it'd happen."

"I can ask JARVIS to come up with some different scenarios if you'd like," Tony offered.

"Eh. Part of me thinks I'm better off not knowing. Lizzie's right, though. I'm going to look like I swallowed a beach ball. No, probably worse than that…" He trailed off.

"So? You'll bounce back into shape in no time. No pun intended there, by the way. But seriously, you were back in what, a month after you had Lizzie?"

"About that."

"It's not a big deal. I'll still find you sexy," Tony grinned.

"...Thanks."

Tony winked at him, "Maybe we can have some fun time when Lizzie goes to bed."

Steve shook his head.

"I'm not really feelin' it, Tony. Sorry. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, okay. I understand. Just rest. Is there anything that you need or want right now?"

"Some tea would be nice, please."

"Sure thing." Tony smiled at him and walked off.

00

Another three weeks went by and Steve was soon very close to ending the first trimester. While he had been continually sick, today he felt better. Good, even. He had woken up before everyone else and hadn't thrown up, and he actually had energy.

Hr walked towards the window in the living room and looked out. It was a gorgeous day. Knowing that days like this would be rare for the following months, Steve decided to take advantage of it. He would take Lizzie to school today. The walk would be nice and maybe he'd even see Gwyneth, too.

00

Tony helped Lizzie get dressed while Steve rummaged through his dresser, silently cursing himself for having so many fitted clothes.

His stomach had grown and even at only ten weeks, he could barely button his jeans. His t-shirts rode up on him, too. He would have to get his pregnancy clothes out of storage soon, that was for sure.

Eventually he settled on a pair of jeans that were usually fairly loose on him but now fit his waist perfectly, along with a button down shirt. It was the loosest thing that he had outside of the clothes he had bought specifically for his last pregnancy, but even so, it was easy enough to see his belly.

Steve wasn't going to his appearance get him down, though. Soon enough he and Lizzie were out the door, walking down the street. As they approached the school, Steve was happy to see Kara running towards the entrance, Gwyneth following a few paces behind.

"Steven!", Gwyneth called out, smiling.

Steve smiled back and walked up to her, watching as Lizzie ran up to Kara and the two girls walked in.

"Good morning," Steve said, holding the door for his friend.

"Good morning to you as well! It's been quite a while!"

"Yeah, I know," Steve replied, trying not to blush. He wasn't sure how he should explain the whole pregnancy thing. Gwyneth knew it could happen, but still, it felt odd to talk about it.

"It's understandable, though, what with everything you must be going through," Gwyneth continued. "You must be out of your first trimester now, yes?"

Steve's jaw dropped.

"You know about that? How?"

At this point, he was thankful that Lizzie was self sufficient enough to take off her coat and put it in her locker. He hadn't told anyone outside of the tower about his pregnancy. The fact that Gwyneth knew was slightly alarming.

"Anthony told me, of course," Gwyneth answered. "I seem him every morning. He's very proud of you, you know."

That made sense. Steve felt an odd mixture of relief and annoyance. Relief that some other person hadn't let it slip, but annoyance that Tony had mentioned it.

"Oh. I, um, yeah. I'm at ten weeks and three days, actually."

Gwyneth nodded, "Ah well the worst of the morning sickness will hopefully be over soon. Oh!", her daughter caught her attention. "Give me a moment to help her out."

Kara was struggling to remove her backpack, having somehow caught it on her arm. Steve took the opportunity to give Lizzie a kiss goodbye.

00

Once the kids were settled into their classroom, Steve and Gwyneth walked out together. They were about halfway down the block when Gwyneth suddenly stumbled. Steve could hear her curse under her breath as she fell to the sidewalk, having tripped over something.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, quickly moving to her side.

Gwyneth had tears in her eyes, but she seemed to be trying to hide it.

"I'm… I'm fine, I think," she whispered. She tried to get up but ended up collapsing again. "I think I may have fractured it."

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay," Steve said, kneeling down next to her. "Don't worry, I'll get you to the hospital really fast, I promise. Put your arm around my neck and on the count of three I'll pick you up. One, two, thr-"

Just as Steve said the last line, he felt something hit him in the back. A needle pierced him between his shoulder blade. The Captain didn't even have time to react. Whatever had been injected was fast acting, and it was only a matter of seconds before everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I just want to state that this story is based on the movie verse, not the comics. I don't know if the Red Skull had kids, but I kind of imagined that maybe he had an affair with someone prior to really becoming the Red Skull and had a kid. Also, I don't remember Erskine or anyone else telling Steve much about what they were going to do to him. Maybe they did in the comics though.**

Ch. 6

When Steve finally woke up, it was because he had a pounding headache. He groaned and attempted to move his hand up to his forehead, but something stopped him.

Confused, he slowly opened his eyes.

"What…?" He asked, as he looked around the room.

He had no idea where he was. The walls looked to be made of concrete, and there were no windows. Steve moved his hands again and noted that both his arms and legs were shackeld to a very uncomfortable bed. And, to top it all off, he began to feel sick again.

"Captain Rogers, I see you're awake," came a voice from the other side of the room.

Steve immediately recognized it.

"Gwyneth?" He asked, weakly.

"Yes," she answered. "You've made quite the long trip."

"Where am I?" Steve again tried to move, but the chains stopped him. "Why am I chained? Oh, God…" Steve could feel bile rising in his throat, but since he was forced to lie flat on his back, he knew that he'd end up choking on it. He forced his stomach muscles to relax, though it wasn't an easy task.

He heard Gwyneth sigh loudly. She disappeared from the door only to return a short while later, with two men by her side. One of the men was older, with graying hair along his temples, though he had a fit body and a handsome face. The other was younger, with dark, unkempt hair, a pair of glasses and bags under his eyes.

"He's sick," she said, matter-of-factly. "He's going to vomit and choke on it."

The younger man sighed and made his way over to Steve. He pulled out a syringe, uncapped it and plunged it into Steve's arm.

Steve tried to fight him, but was unable to. The chains that bound him were extremely strong, strong enough that he couldn't break them on his own.

Thankfully, the injection instantly began to make Steve's nausea and headache fade.

"Better, now?" the older man asked. Steve noted that he had a German accent.

"Who are you?" Steve growled. He looked at Gwyneth, "Where am I?" Again he struggled with the chains.

"Those chains are made of Adamantium, Captain," the older man said, "You'll find that you'll be unable to break them."

"What do you want from me?" Steve yelled.

The man shook his head and turned to his other companions.

"I think the Captain needs to rest some more. He seems to be in a very disagreeable mood right now."

"I think you're right," Gwyneth replied.

The three walked out.

"We'll be back, Captain Rogers," Gwyneth called out. "Hopefully by then your temperament will have improved."

00

Back in New York, Tony was frantic. Steve had not come back from dropping Lizzie off at school and he had been gone for almost eighteen hours. Bruce had agreed to watch Lizzie while the others continued their search.

"So now what?" Natasha asked. "All we have is that one video. They could be anywhere by now."

Tony frowned. He hadn't eaten or slept since the day prior.

"The woman in the video is named Gwyneth, but I can't tell who the man is. He did a good job of hiding his face. She had a daughter who went to school with Lizze. We spoke a few times." Tony then turned his attention to his AI.

"JARVIS, any luck with the search on Gwyneth?"

"I'm sorry to say no, sir. There are no records of anyone named Gwyneth Klineschmidt that match her description anywhere."

"Damnit." Tony rubbed his eyes.

"We can go check the piers again," Clint suggested.

The car that Steve had been dragged into had gone in the same direction as the piers. They'd even found the car nearby, but no one had seen anyone matching Steve or Gwyneth's description.

"Yeah, alright," Tony agreed. Maybe Thor should go too? In case there's any problems. I'd rather stay here."

"Sure. I'll go get him."

Clint kissed Natasha goodbye and headed out.

Once Clint was gone, Natasha rested a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"We'll find him," she said, "I know we will."

"We should've found him by now, though. Or he should've escaped. He's too strong to be held captive for this long. It makes me think that…" Tony trailed off, unable to state it. Thinking of Steve being dead was too much for him.

"It would be hard to kill him and he's too valuable anyway. Whoever took him wants something, whether it's money or information…I don't think they would kill him for no reason."

Tony nodded.

"I hope you're right."

00

It seemed like hours had passed since the Gwyneth and the others had left, but Steve wasn't entirely sure. With no windows or clocks he had no way of telling time. He had continued to try to break his chains, but it was to no avail. They were too strong.

Steve had managed to fall asleep for a few minutes when the door opened. The two men were back. Gwyneth was nowhere in sight.

"Are you feeling any better, Captain?" The older man asked.

"Who are you?" Steve tried again. "Why am I here?"

The man sighed, and pulled a chair towards the bed. He sat down on it. The younger man remained in the doorway.

"We have never met, Captain, however, I know much about you. I believe you knew my grandfather as well."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Steve answered.

"Johann Schmidt. You know the name?"

Steve's jaw dropped.

"Him?! He's your grandfather?!"

The man smiled.

"He was. Our names are a little different, the result of my father being ashamed of his past. I am Dr. Klineschmidt. You've already met my wife, Gwyneth."

"Christ," Steve mumbled. "What is it that you want?"

"You see, you and my grandfather were not so different. Science helped to make you what you are and him what he was. My goal, Captain, is to figure out that science. This can go one of two ways: You can tell myself, and Dr. Brenner, what Erskine did to you - what drugs were injected into you, how the entire transformation occurred, or, I will find out myself, and I will make your life very, very difficult in the meantime."

"Even if I wanted to tell you, I'm not entirely sure," Steve answered.

Klineschmidt stared at Steve for a second, before laughing. Dr. Brenner, meanwhile, looked very confused.

"You mean that you were never told what was being done to you?" The younger doctor asked.

"I knew basics of it, but that's all." Steve replied.

Klineschmidt began laughing even harder.

"You cannot expect us to believe that you underwent such a complete transformation without detailed information being provided!"

Steve glared at him.

"Dr. Erskine was completely trustworthy."

Klineschmidt shook his head, "You ought to come up with something better than that, Captain." He looked at Dr. Brenner, who stilled looked confused. "We'll let you think that over for a few days. Perhaps some time without food or water will push you to be honest."

With that, the older man stood up, replaced the chair, and walked out the door, alongside his companion.

00

Tony felt like he was losing his mind. Clint and Thor had returned from the piers. They had intimidated one of the dock workers into giving them some information, but it wasn't much. All they knew was that Gwyneth and two unknown men had dragged Steve onto a small boat, and that it had taken off towards Fire Island.

So, the entire team went there. They had been searching the island up and down, interviewing anyone they came across. Steve had been gone now for 48 hours. Despite their efforts, they found nothing.

Tony wasn't about to stop looking though. He ignored everyone's attempts to get him to eat or sleep. He wouldn't rest until he found Steve.

00

After over a day of not eating or drinking, Steve was starving and extremely tired. His metabolism was much higher than a normal person's, so he had to eat regularly lest he become very weak.

He wouldn't have even cared about it so much if he wasn't carrying the twins. That's what really made him nervous. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if they died because of his actions.

The only person he had seen at all was Dr. Brenner, and he had only come in once, to insert a cathadar. Without any anesthetic, of course. That had been both humiliating and painful.

After the procedure, Steve had attempted to talk to him, as Dr. Brenner seemed to be the kinder of the two men. But the man just looked at him with sad, sorry eyes, and shook his head.

And so, Steve was alone. To get his mind off of the fear of the twins dying, Steve tried to imagine other things. He imagined Lizzie playing with Lokitty and having fun with his friends at the tower.

Steve really missed his daughter, too. He hoped that she was alright. Tony was a very capable father, but he was surely upset about Steve having gone missing. That was another thing that concerned him. Steve felt that he had been gone for over two days, and Tony nor the others had found him. That meant that his captors had done a very good job covering their tracks.

The blonde was imagining being him with his family when he heard a voice. A voice that sounded very familiar.

"Hello?" the voice called out.

It sounded similar to Lizzie's. That didn't make sense, though. Lizzie wasn't there, was she?

"Lizzie?" Steve called out, tentatively. "Baby, is that you?"

"My name's Holly," the voice replied. "Talk softer or they'll hear you."

"Holly?" Steve could tell that the voice was coming from behind the wall closest to the bed. "How old are you?"

"Seven," the girl replied. "I just...I wanted to know if you were okay. I heard them talking yesterday."

"What day is it?" Steve asked, ignoring her question.

"It's Wednesday evening. You've been here for about three days. I know there's no window in your room but there's one in mine."

"Oh."

For some reason, Steve was starting to feel dizzy.

"Listen, if you just tell them what they want to know, they'll be nicer to you. They know you're pregnant. I heard them talking while you were knocked out."

Steve sighed.

"Why are you here?"

"It's a long story. Just trust me, if you do what they want, they'll be nicer to you."

"Okay."

Suddenly the dizziness became overwhelming, and Steve closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Another day passed. All Steve did was sleep. He was too weak to do anything else, really. When he finally did wake up, it was to the sound of voices coming from the next room over.

"You want me to read this one?"

It was Holly's voice.

"Please," the other voice responded. Steve recognized that one too. It was Kara.

"Okay," Holly answered. "Sit down."

Steve listened as Holly slowly read through a story about a princess living in a tower guarded by a dragon. Holly was good at reading, and Kara was appreciative of it. When the story was finished, Kara spoke again.

"Can you brush my hair?"

There was a silence before Holly replied.

"Yes. Go get the brush."

Steve heard footsteps as Kara ran across the room then came back. He wondered who Holly was. He had surmised that Kara was Dr. Klineschmidt and Gwyneth's daughter, but he didn't think that Holly was related.

The soldier continued to listen to the girls converse until the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Dr. Brenner and Dr. Klineschmidt were back.

"Hello Captain," Klineschmidt greeted him. "Have you come to your senses yet?"

"I'm telling you the truth," Steve answered, glaring at them.

Klineschmidt shook his head and walked across the room.

"It would be a shame for your unborn children to suffer because of your actions," He said, looking at Steve's stomach. "Could you really do that to them?"

Steve sighed.

"I'm not lying to you."

"Right, well, luckily for you, we don't want to kill you. However, we can make your life miserable." The doctor ran a finger along Steve's stomach, making him cringe.

"Don't touch me," Steve hissed. The doctor's fingers had been cold as ice, and Steve could feel it even through the thin shirt was wearing.

"Or you'll do what?" Klineschmidt grinned. "You'll hurt me?"

Steve pulled at his chains angrily.

"Enough of that. Here is how this is going to work: If you continue to keep quiet, you will remain chained to the bed. We will give you the bare minimum necessary for you to survive. We will _not _try to keep your children alive. If you choose to speak, you will be rewarded. It's very simple. Oh, and Dr. Brenner is going to draw blood from you, and he will analyze it. We will find out your secrets one way or another, the question is whether or not you want to suffer in the meantime."

Steve didn't reply. He fixed his gaze at the ceiling and did his best to ignore his captors.

Seeing this, Dr. Klineschmidt stood up.

"Marcus, give him some water and food. Just enough to keep him from starving, then take his blood."

"Yes sir," the younger doctor replied. He then scurried out of the room, Klineschmidt following behind him.

00

Tony had just finished flying over his box of the grid that he and the others had created to help narrow their search. Thor had finally gotten what was hopefully a good clue regarding Steve's whereabouts, and it had led them to rural area northern England.

For his part, Tony had done an aerial search in the hopes of spotting any shelters or disturbances in the soil. Whoever had taken Steve was smart, and Tony would not have been surprised if he had set up in an underground bunker or something of that sort.

He returned to the home base that he and the others had set up. Pepper was there, watching Lizzie. Natasha was guarding them both.

"Did you find daddy?" Lizzie asked, quietly. Her eyes were puffy and red. Tony had ultimately been forced to tell her the truth. The kid would've figured it out anyway. She was devastated, though, and had been crying pretty much non-stop since she found out.

"Not yet, baby," Tony replied. "But we will."

Lizzie sniffled and held her stuffed animal to her chest. Steve had given it to her for her fourth birthday. It was a black and purple cat that she had named Chess as it looked like the Cheshire Cat. It was also the only toy that Lizzie had taken with her on the trip.

"I miss him," Lizzie whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks once again.

Tony frowned.

"Me too, Lizzie. Me too."

00

A week passed. Then another week.

Steve was still chained up and was barely getting by. Every day he was given bread and water but nothing more. His body hurt from the position that he was in, too. Besides that there was the humiliation of being unable to get up to use a bathroom. The catheter had taken care of one aspect of that, but it was not uncommon for the doctors to leave him lying in his own waste for a day or so, only cleaning him up when the smell and sight bothered them too much.

Steve endured all of it, though, with the thought that Tony would come soon.

Today was different, though. Today something felt off.

Steve had a bad feeling about the twins. He couldn't really explain it, he just felt as though something was wrong.

It was this feeling that made him finally open up to his captors.

"He used a vita-ray projector," Steve said, as Dr. Brenner brought in his usual piece of toast and glass of water. "They used that along with the serum."

Dr. Brenner put down the tray he was carrying.

"That is interesting. Do you recall how it was created? What it looked like? Possibly, how it worked?"

Steve sighed.

"I can draw it, but I want to get something out of it."

"I'm listening," Dr. Brenner said.

"I want an ultrasound done, and I want out of these chains, and I want some actual food, not just the bread and water you keep giving me. I want a shower, too, and access to a bathroom."

Steve knew that the scientists would never let him go, but he could at least make his existence more comfortable until Tony came along.

"Ah. I will talk to Dr. Klineschmidt, but I'm sure that at least some of your requests can be accommodated."

Steve nodded and watched as Dr. Brenner stood up.

"I'll return shortly."

00

True to his word, Dr. Brenner returned with Dr. Klineschmidt several minutes later. The older doctor looked quite excited.

"Dr. Brenner tells me that you've started to come around," Klineschmidt said.

"Only if I get something in return."

"Dr. Brenner told me that as well. Your requests are understandable, and I can arrange for some of them to be met, but only after you draw the Vita-Ray that you mentioned."

"No. I need a gesture of good faith," Steve replied.

Klineschmidt sighed.

"Fine. Marcus, we have an ultrasound machine available, yes? Somewhere in one of the storage closets?"

"I believe so."

"Find it and give the Captain his examination. We'll go from there. Is that fair?" Klineschmidt looked at Steve.

"It works for me."

00

It was a while before Dr. Brenner returned with a portable ultrasound machine. It looked like an old model, or at least older than the one that Bruce had.

"I'm going to put this gel on your stomach," Brenner explained, holding a bottle of blue gel up, "Then we'll do the ultrasound."

"Thanks," Steve whispered.

He didn't even notice how cold the gel was when Brenner applied it. He was too caught up thinking about the twins. The ultrasound would show if they were alive or not, and he feared what might happen if they weren't. He wasn't sure if he could go on, knowing that his actions caused their lives to end.

The doctor picked up the wand associated with the machine and began moving it along Steve's stomach. The blonde couldn't bear to look at the screen. For several minutes, the doctor moved the wand along, not saying a word. With each second, Steve grew more anxious.

"It looks like both of them are still alive," the doctor finally said.

Steve let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Seriously? They're - they're okay?!"

"Indeed they are."

"I thought they'd be dead. I thought I'd starved them to death. My God - they're alive!" Steve felt excited for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Yes, yes they are."

Dr. Brenner used a rag to wipe the gel off of Steve's stomach.

"I'm sure your physiology had something to do with that," he said, as he packed the machine up.

"Probably did," Steve replied. "I'm so happy that they're okay."

00

Shortly after the ultrasound, Klineschmidt, Gwyneth and Brenner all returned to Steve's room. Gwyneth was holding a pad and pencil. She wrinkled her nose as she walked in.

"Is he lying in - oh, God, Erik, can't you clean him up?!"

Klineschmidt sighed, seemingly annoyed.

"The problem will be taken care of shortly, my dear."

Gwyneth shook her head, disgusted at the sight before her. Steve couldn't help but blush. This was humiliating. Probably more humiliating than anything he'd ever gone through before.

"Now, Captain. I am going to unchain your arms so that you can sit up to draw." Klineschmidt held up a small key ring, "But I warn you, do not try to fight us." He then pulled a small pistol out of a holster on his belt. "I would have no problem hitting you where it would hurt most."

Steve knew, of course, what the doctor was referring to.

Steve glared at him, but said nothing. He allowed the man to unchain his arms, then slowly sat up.

Having not moved in so long, Steve's muscles hurt tremendously. Just sitting up was an effort in itself. He couldn't help but groan in pain as he did so.

Nonetheless, he reached out for the pad and pencil, and he quickly began sketching.

He drew a picture of the machine that he'd been placed inside of. It was detailed and showed both an outer and inner view of the machine. When he was finished, he handed the pad back.

"There. Now, what about my other requests?"

Klineschmidt smiled.

"I will unchain you entirely. You've been good, and you deserve that. Before I do, though, take a look around the room. Do you see those holes in the walls?"

Steve looked around. He had noticed the holes before and had wondered what they were.

"There are numerous guns in there, all rigged to shoot if you try to escape. We also have them wired up by remote. Show him."

Dr. Brenner held up a small remote control.

"And can you guess where the cameras are?" Klineschmidt continued.

Steve looked around once again. He didn't see cameras anywhere.

"No…" He eventually answered.

"They're there. We can and will watch you, and if you break the rules, we will ensure that at the very least, your children will not make it. Understood?"

Steve shook his head 'yes'.

"Good. As far as the shower goes, you will be given a small basin of water and a small plastic mirror along with a towel. You may use that to clean yourself. Dr. Brenner will bring you some more food - as per your request. And for the bathroom… I think I have an idea for that too."

00

Klineschmidt's idea of a bathroom consisted of a 5 gallon bucket. The bucket was delivered by Gwyneth, while the basin of water, mirror, and towel were brought in by Brenner. Steve was somewhat surprised to see that he had even been provided a bar of soap and a small, rusted safety razor. While he'd never use it under normal circumstances, he recognized it as being the best that he was apt to get.

As soon as he was fully unchained and alone, Steve made use of the basin. He hadn't washed in the fifteen days that he had been there, and he felt disgusting. Just to be able to clean himself on his own was a treat.

After cleaning himself as best he could with the towel, soap and water, Steve moved on to shaving. It was then that he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He was pale and thin - thinner then he'd ever been post-serum. His collarbone jutted out from his chest and he could see the outline of his ribs pushing against his skin. Steve's belly, of course, was still big. It stuck out above Steve's hip bones, but the contrast between his chest and stomach was unnerving.

Not wanting to focus on that, Steve looked over his arms. They were still fairly muscled, but not nearly as large as they had been. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was shaggy, having grown out. He also had a decently thick beard.

Steve lathered the soap and spread it on his face, then slowly and very carefully, began to shave it using the rusted metal. It took a while, but he managed to get the beard entirely off. Being clean-shaven made him feel more like himself.

He had just finished with that when the door opened again. It was Brenner, holding a large tray of food. The doctor set it down on Steve's bed.

"More food, as you requested."

Steve slowly walked towards the bed and looked the tray over. It was loaded with three sandwiches, a bowl of peas, a bowl of jello, a banana and a large water bottle.

"Thank you," Steve said, trying not to show his excitement. He was _so_ hungry. He couldn't wait to dive in.

"You're welcome," Dr. Brenner said, before turning around and walking out.

00

Now alone again, Steve's stomach growled as he considered the feast before him. He ate the banana first, thoroughly enjoying it's sweet taste. Then he quickly moved on to one of the sandwiches, then another. And then he started on the peas. It was then that he began to feel sick.

He put his spoon down and attempted to calm his stomach, rubbing it and then drinking small sips of water. It didn't help, though. Soon enough he was kneeling next to the bucket and heaving into it, throwing up partially digested bits of bread and fruit.

For some reason, that was it. That was the last straw. Steve couldn't help it - as soon as he stopped vomiting, he began to cry. That had been the only real food that he'd had in weeks, and he'd wasted it by getting sick! It was terribly unfair!

Steve curled up on the floor, lying in the fetal position. He sobbed loudly, not caring who heard it.

But then that voice came again. Holly's.

"Mister Captain?" The girl called out. "Mister Captain, don't cry."

Steve sniffled, and tried to regain his composure. Still, he didn't trust himself to speak quite yet.

"It's okay Mister Captain. You just ate the food too fast. You're okay. Don't cry," Holly said softly.

Steve sniffed again, then took a deep breath.

"That's good," the girl said, "Take a deep breath. You're okay."

For some reason, Holly's voice was comforting. Steve took another deep breath, then another. Eventually he was able to stop crying entirely. But the episode had left him drained. He crawled over to the bed, pulled the filthy sheet off of it, and laid down.

"Who are you?" He asked, closing his eyes.

"My name is Holly," the girl answered.

"I know. I meant, _who are you_?"

The girl was quiet for a minute as she tried to formulate her response.

"My full name is Holiday. Holiday Ann Brenner."

"Oh, God." Steve cringed. Of course she was Brenner's daughter. Of course. The only thing that seemed odd was that Holly didn't seem to have full access to the building, whereas Kara did.

"Are you being held here too?" Steve finally asked.

There was another silence before the girl spoke.

"It's not as bad as what they're doing to you."

Steve wanted to cry again. It was bad enough that they were holding him captive, but to keep a seven year old girl chained up? That was beyond terrible.

"Did your dad force you to come here?" It hurt Steve to ask the questions, but he felt that he had to.

"No, he didn't," Holly whispered.

"Then Klineschmidt did! He's making your father work for him by holding you captive!"

"...I don't want to talk about it anymore," Holly replied.

"Yeah, okay." Steve was tired anyway. It wasn't long before he drifted off yet again.

00

The other Avengers were now back in New York, having had no luck. All leads that they had chased down had been dead ends, and Tony was truly beginning to fear the worst.

"We can't just give up," Tony said, as he looked over a large map that JARVIS had pulled up. It marked all of the locations that they had searched. The group had been all over the world in the past two weeks and there were locations on every continent with the exception of Antartica.

"I don't know what else we can do," Clint replied. "We're upset about it too, but… I mean, We've looked everywhere it seems!"

Tony shook his head.

"I refuse to abandon him. I cannot leave the father of my child to die."

The others were silent, unsure of what to say.

And then, Thor spoke up.

"There is one other option," He began.

Tony looked at him, giving the blonde his full attention.

"Heimdall, the Gatekeeper of the Bifrost, is all-seeing. It would have been preferable not to get Asgard involved in this, considering all that happened with Loki, but it seems as though we have no choice."

"You can get to him, right? Call out to him? Because if he can see where Steve is-"

"Yes, I can," Thor reassured him. He rested a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You will have an answer, be it good or bad, soon enough."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I have been wanting to bring Loki into this story for a while. I consider this story as taking place after Loki is locked up at the beginning of Thor 2, but prior to the major events of the movie. So basically he is sitting in a cell as this is taking place.**

Ch. 8

"He is alive," Heimdall said, "But he is being guarded. Reaching him will be difficult."

"How many men are guarding him?" Thor asked. "And where is he? Stark will want to know specifically."

Heimdall turned to Thor.

"He is in what I believe the Midgardians call Scotland, being held in the lower levels of a large brown building. The village is called Evanton. There are only two men, but they have many weapons. The Captain would be killed quickly if your friends decided to break in."

"We will have to find another way, then," Thor replied. "Perhaps Stark will have an idea."

Heimdall nodded. "There is someone else that may be able to help. Someone who can take many forms, perhaps the form of one of the men guarding the Captain."

Thor's eyes grew wide.

"You speak of Loki?"

"It is merely a thought."

Thor ran a hand through his hair.

"It may be the easiest way. I will discuss it with the others. It is not an easy decision. I must be returning to Midgard now. Thank you for your help, my friend."

"Of course." Heimdall moved to open the Bifrost. "I wish you luck."

00

"Loki?!" Tony asked, stunned by Thor's suggestion. "Are you serious?"

"I know that he has done many wrongs, but Loki would be able to change his appearance. If we attempt to go in on our own, the weapons aimed at the Captain would surely kill him, or at least, the children, before we reached him."

"Loki." Tony repeated. "And why would he even agree to help us?"

"I may be able to negotiate a shorter sentence for him, or for him to be granted more privileges in exchange for his help."

"Not to mention, he could probably relate to Steve too," Natasha added.

Thor nodded in agreement.

"Yes, he may help on account of that as well. Loki has had several children himself."

Tony wrinkled his nose as he thought about Loki's spawn. He wondered if they were all screwy like Loki was. Still, maybe Thor had a point.

"Assuming that we could get him to help, how can we be sure that he will not betray us?"

"It would not be in his interest to do so. My brother cares very much about his own interests, as you know."

Tony shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't like it, but we may not have a choice. What do you guys think?"

"I don't like it either but… I agree, we may have no other alternatives," Clint answered.

"Same," Natasha said, "Loki could likely get the Captain out of there faster than we could. It would be less of a risk for him and the babies."

"Bruce?" Tony looked at the scientist. "What do you think?"

Bruce frowned.

"I'm in agreement with everyone. We have to do what we have to do. Thor, do you think that you can reach Loki any time soon?"

"I am sure that I can."

"Alright, then," Tony said. "I'll find the building and do my best to get some images of the inside. Hopefully we can make this work."

00

Steve was on the bed, freezing, and curled up yet again. He had been offered a set of scrubs to replace his worn and filthy clothing, but he refused to accept them. The problem was that they had been offered to him only because Dr. Brenner had managed to figure out the base compounds of the super serum by analyzing Steve's blood. Klineschmidt and Gwyneth had been in a celebratory mood, and so they had offered Steve a gift.

But now Steve was worried. The two men were that much closer to figuring out the serum and there was no telling what they would do with it then. Obviously, it wouldn't be anything good.

The blonde wanted to stop them. He had been contemplating it for days, trying to figure out how he could take them down and still manage not to hurt the twins. When he couldn't come to a conclusion on that, he started devising alternatives. Either way, it would be next to impossible for him to get out without being very severely injured and there was no guarantee that he could even get to both Brenner and Klineschmidt.

Then there were the two children. Kara and Holiday needed to be released as well.

Steve wondered if saving the kids and possibly saving the world was worth the deaths of the babies he carried inside of him. Had he been able to devise a way to definitely get rid of both doctors, he probably would've done it, even if it meant pain and guilt for the rest of his life.

In the end he realized there was really nothing he could do. Klineschmidt had planned his capture and captivity very, very well. His only hope would be the other Avengers finding him. Even if it meant his own death, at least the two doctors would be eliminated.

This realization was one of the hardest things that he ever had to come to grips with. It was almost as hard as coping with Bucky's death. Steve felt guilty for existing, as it was his strength and endurance that had caused Klineschmidt to begin researching, picking up in Johann Schmidt's place.

Steve didn't want to move. He didn't want to eat. He got up solely to use the bucket that had been provided to him. He didn't wash anymore, even though Brenner or Gwyneth brought him a new basin of water each day.

For her part, Holiday had picked up on Steve's depression and seemed to be doing everything in her power to make him happy. This included telling him stories and reading them whenever she could get Kara to bring her a book.

Today, she had managed to get ahold of a copy of Beauty and the Beast and was reading it softly. Steve listened intently, enjoying the story. It was odd, but it took his attention away from the circumstances at hand. All too often he wondered if Tony was ever going to actually find him. It had been so long. He wondered if Tony had given up. Maybe he had begun to move on.

"Belle slowly opened the door to the library, then made her way inside. There were bookshelves that reached as high as the ceiling, filled with thousands of different books on hundreds of different subjects - Are you listening to me?" The little girl questioned. Steve hadn't said anything in close to half an hour.

"Yes," Steve replied, softly.

Holly sighed and closed the book.

"It's gonna be okay," She said.

Steve didn't respond.

"Your friends will come for your soon and you'll have the babies and everyone will live happily ever after, just like in the books!" She continued.

"If your father figures out what he needs to figure out, what will happen to you?" Steve asked, changing the subject slightly. The two of them rarely discussed Holly's life. "Will you get to go home?"

"I guess so," she replied. "Erik said that he would let daddy go if he helped."

"Then what? You would go back to wherever you lived, and go back to school and your friends? What about your mother?"

"She's dead," the child replied, sadly. "She's been dead for a long time. I would go back to school, maybe."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, sincerely. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay. Daddy always says you gotta keep your head up."

Though the statement was meant to be positive, it just made Steve even more depressed. Not only did he have no realistic way of getting out of this situation, but here was some kid who was stuck there too with really nothing to go home to.

Steve curled up even tighter and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come soon.

00

Thor was standing outside Loki's cell, arms crossed.

"I've spoken to father, and he has agreed that you would be granted access to the castle twice per week, along with access to the library, if you were to help."

Loki glared at him.

"Is that supposed to entice me?"

Thor stared right back at him.

"We both know that you have little to do here besides read the few books that mother brings you. You must be restless."

"I am managing just fine," Loki snipped. "It would take a lot more than your pitiful offerings to make me help you."

"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for the Captain. He is carrying two children."

Thor's statement surprised Loki.

"You mean… He's… Like I was?"

"You've known that he can bear children for quite a while."

"I try not to think about him or the other Avengers all too often. How far along is he?"

"Close to four months. That's almost halfway along for Midgardians."

"And what will be done with the children once they are born?" Loki was extremely curious about the answer to that question. His children had all been taken from him, having been deemed monsters.

"They will be given a loving home with the Widow and the Archer."

Loki nodded.

"So the Captain will see them again?"

"He will. The children will likely be treated as siblings by his own daughter, Elizabeth."

Loki took a deep breath. He could relate to Steve's position to an extent. The fact that the children would have good homes and love made Loki happy, though he wouldn't be apt to admit that. He only wished that he could have been allowed to provide the same for his own.

After a few moments of silence, Loki finally spoke his decision.

"If that is the case, that they will have loving homes, then I will help you."

Thor grinned.

"I'm so glad that you've agreed, brother! I will have the guards remove you at once! Though… you will have to be chained to me for the trip."

"I assumed as such," Loki replied. "Ah, well, at least I'll be out of here for a short while."

Thor smiled again.

"I'll return shortly, Loki. And thank you again."


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

"Loki! How are you?" Tony asked, as Thor and Loki made their way into the tower's common area. He never liked Loki, but considering the favor that the man was about to do, he was trying his hardest to be nice.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Something to drink would be nice," Loki answered.

Thor led him to one of the couches and unlocked the chains that bound them together. Meanwhile, Tony poured out some scotch on the rocks for both of them.

"Here you go," he said, handing the glass to Loki. "Did you have a good trip?"

"You do not need to be kind to me," Loki said. "I realize the damage that I've done to your beloved city."

Tony nodded and took a sip of his scotch.

"Right."

At that moment, Natasha, Clint and Lizzie all walked into the room. The little girl immediately caught Loki's attention. Seeing this, Tony introduced them.

"Loki, this is my daughter, Elizabeth. We call her Lizzie. Lizzie, this is Loki."

Lizzie looked the god up and down then smiled at him.

"My cat's name is Lokitty."

Loki couldn't help but smirk.

"Is it now?"

"Yes. He's a good cat. I'll go get him!"

"Honey, no, you don't have to get -" Tony called out, but by then it was too late. Lizzie was already skipping down the hallway. "Sorry about that," Tony finished, looking at Loki.

"No need to be. She doesn't seem to be afraid of me," Loki noted.

"Nah. Lizzie doesn't really judge much. She's a good kid. Sorry about the cat, though. It was kind of a joke, and we never really thought you'd find out, to be completely honest."

Loki smirked again. Lizzie was quickly making her way back into the common area with the cat in her arms.

"Loki, this is Lokitty," she said, holding the black cat up. "Put your hand out for Lokitty to smell you."

Still smiling, Loki obliged. The cat sniffed his fingers for a few seconds then began to lick them.

"See! Lokitty likes you! He's a good boy!"

"Indeed he is. May I hold him?"

Lizzie nodded and handed the cat off. Loki gently held the cat up, using his free hand to scratch behind the its ears. Within seconds the animal was purring loudly.

"Wow… he really likes you," Tony said, stunned by the sight. Lokitty wasn't the most friendly of animals and he was shocked that the cat liked Loki, of all people.

"Most animals like my brother," Thor said, watching as the cat continued to lick Loki's hand.

"So, have you got a plan for what we are to do?" Loki asked, changing the subject.

"Yes and no. Wanna come down to my lab? There's more space there for me to show you."

Loki nodded in agreement and handed the cat back to Lizzie, who was being watched by Pepper. He followed Tony to the elevator and the rest of the group trailed behind.

Once there, Tony told JARVIS to pull up a photo of the building that Steve was being held in.

"There are two entrances," Tony explained, pulling up different pictures to show them both. "One in the front and one in the back. In this picture you can see that a package was dropped off at the rear exit. I think that's the one they probably use."

"Alright," Loki replied. "Go on."

"We know that besides Steve, there are at least three other people there. Two of them are female - this is Gwyneth," Tony showed him a photo of the red-head, "And this is her daughter, Kara. We think that her husband is there as well. We were able to get some information on him - his name is Erik Klineschmidt. He's a German biologist and a descendant of Johann Schmidt, whom you may have heard of."

"The name doesn't ring a bell," Loki said.

Tony then pulled up a photo of the Red Skull.

"He and Steve battled it out back in the 1940s and Steve ultimately defeated him by crashing his plane into the Arctic. We think that they are trying to get information on the super serum used on Steve. Heimdall confirmed that he is still alive, but that there are weapons near him wired to go off if he tries to escape."

"You'd need me to disarm them, then."

"Obviously, yes. We need you to get inside, disarm any weapons and incapacitate the adults there, if possible. If not, we need you to ensure that they can't reactivate any of the systems. At that point, myself and Thor will come in and get Steve out and Clint and Natasha will act as back up. Once we get Steve we'll take him to Bruce and Amy. And then, of course, we have to destroy the place."

"We want to ensure that any research that they have is destroyed," Natasha added, seeing the confused look on Loki's face.

"Will that not attract attention?"

"Fury's been covering for us, putting out reports that we are participating in mock battles. He can put out a report saying that the building was part of that, and since you'll be disguised, no one will know that you're there."

"Fury must be desperate to get his Captain back if he's willing to work with me." Loki grinned, "You mentioned that there is a child there. What are we to do with her?"

Tony frowned.

"We haven't really thought that far. Since her parents have committed a series of crimes, she would probably have to be put into foster care, if she's an American citizen. Most likely we would take her back to New York and take it from there."

Loki shook his head.

"No."

"No what?"

"We're not giving the child to the authorities. That's not right."

"I don't see what choice we would have, Loki," Tony replied, "I mean… would you want her to stay with people like that? Who are okay with kidnapping and torturing pregnant people?"

"I understand your conundrum, however I will only participate in this if you swear that you will do everything within your power to ensure that the child stays with family members, or at least finds a good home."

Loki looked Tony straight in the eyes, and Tony could tell that he was being serious.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. I swear. I'm sure I can do something about it, all considering."

"Good." Loki leaned closer to where the pictures were, "Now, as far as this plan goes, I have some suggestions."

00

Less than twelve hours later the helicarrier arrived in Scotland, landing in a field a few kilometers from the building. Bruce and Ami had set up the medical bay inside while Natasha, Clint, Tony, Loki and Thor got ready.

"How do I look?" Loki asked, as he took his new form.

"That's… creepy, but perfect. You look just like her," Tony answered.

Loki had changed his appearance to mirror Kara's. It was late at night, and Loki intended to knock on the back door. Most likely the Klineschmidts would think he was really their daughter and that she had somehow gotten outside, and they would let her in.

"Remember, press this button," Tony reminded the god, pointing to a spot on his bracelet. It had been made to look like something a young girl would wear, with a signal button disguised as a bead. "That will alert me that you've disarmed the weapons system and I can lead everyone in."

"I will."

"Good. Alright," Tony took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. He had been in danger many times before, but he was more nervous now than he had ever been. He couldn't afford for anything to go wrong. If something happened to Steve, he wasn't sure how he could live with himself.

"Ready?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, Loki. We'll be waiting nearby."

Loki smiled.

"See you all soon, then."

00

Loki walked up the steps in the back of the building and gently knocked on the door. He waited a few seconds, but there was no answer. Loki knocked again, slightly harder this time.

"Mummy? Daddy?" he called out, trying his best to sound like an upset child. "Mummy, it's Kara!"

That seemed to get the adult's attention. Soon enough the door opened. Gwyneth stood in the doorway.

"Kara! My god, what are you doing out there?!" She grabbed the child by the arm and pulled her inside. "Erik! Marcus! Come quickly!"

Gwyneth dragged Loki further into the building. They walked through several rooms - a kitchen and a common area before stopping in what looked to be a control room. Loki did his best not to smile. This had been too easy.

"What is it?" One of the men called out. He and another adult male came rushing into the room.

"Look who I found outside! I thought you put her to bed hours ago!", Gwyneth scolded her husband.

Dr. Klineschmidt's jaw dropped.

"I _did_ put her to bed! Marcus, you saw me! We walked right past you!"

"They did," the younger man confirmed.

Gwyneth furrowed her brow and looked at Loki.

"How did you get outside?"

Loki pouted.

"Mummy, I want to go back to bed. Can you and daddy go with me?"

"Yes, yes. But tomorrow you're going to explain this, young lady! You cannot be wandering about at night time! And Erik!" She turned to her husband, "You must be sure to lock the doors!"

"I _did_ lock the doors! I always lock the doors! You know that we can never be too careful!"

Seeing as how his cover might soon be blown, Loki pouted again and reached out for Dr. Klineschmidt's hand. The man took it, while Gwyneth held Loki's other arm.

"I'm so tired," Loki said, "Can we go now?"

"Alright," Gwyneth agreed.

The three had barely taken five steps when green bands of light shot out of Loki's hands, going into the adult's bodies. The couple was stunned by the magic, but they only had a second to react. Loki had forced a wave of paralyzing energy into their bodies. It would only last a few minutes, but hopefully that would be enough.

Unfortunately, he still had to deal with the other man, and the other man had just seen everything.

"What the hell is going on?!" Brenner asked, taking a step back.

Loki changed back to his normal form.

"You have two choices: Either you tell me how to disarm the weapons here, and I do little to hurt you, or you get in my way, and I kill you."

"Oh, my god. You're- you're - Loki?! What are you doing here?!"

Loki ignored the question.

"What's it going to be? Life or death?" He began to move forward.

Brenner kept moving backward, but eventually found himself pressed up against the door of the control center.

"I'll show you," he finally said. "Here."

He led Loki inside and showed him a series of buttons. Loki noticed that above the panel, there were several television sets showing different views of Steve's room. It looked like he was sleeping.

"All we have to do is turn these switches and hit these four buttons."

Loki glared at him.

"If I find out that you're lying -"

Dr. Brenner put his hands up.

"I'm not! I'm not. I'm not here of my own free will! I swear it!"

Interested as he was in this statement, Loki was more focused on getting his job done. He flipped the switches and pressed the buttons. There was a beeping sound followed by an electronic sounding voice.

"Weapons system disarmed," the voice said.

"See! I told the truth! Please don't hurt me. My daughter is here too, we are both being held here!"

Loki scowled. This threw a kink into the plans that he and the Avengers had set up. Now they had yet another captive to deal with.

"Stand in that closet," Loki told him, "Do not come out. If you are speaking the truth, we will do our best to get you out as well."

Dr. Brenner quickly made his way over to the closet.

"Thank you! My daugher is in the room next to the Captain's room!"

"Fine," Loki hissed. He then pressed the button on his bracelet, alerting everyone else.

00

Tony and Thor burst into the building, tearing down the back door in the process. Natasha and Clint followed behind. By that point, the two Klineschmidts were starting to come out of their paralyzed state. They had begun to move their hands.

"Secure them first," Loki said, motioning towards the couple. "It won't be long before my spell wears off."

"Clint, Tasha, you got this?" Tony asked.

"On it," Natasha confirmed. She and Clint walked over and started to tie the pair up.

"Where is he?" Tony asked Loki. "Do you know what room?"

"I believe he's downstairs," Loki answered.

"Thanks."

Tony and Thor moved out, heading towards the basement. There were three separate doors at the bottom of the stairwell. Thor opened the first one while Tony opened the second.

"He is here," Thor called out.

Tony quickly ran over.

"You see him?" He pushed past Thor and ran inside. "Steve?"

He could now see his lover, huddled up on a dirty mattress in the corner. The room was disgusting and it reeked of filth and decay.

"Oh, fuck," Tony murmured. Steve was covered in filth. His clothes were torn and brown with soot, or at least, what Tony hoped was soot, and his hair was matted to his head. The clothes themselves were extremely baggy on Steve's now thin frame.

"Steve, baby, can you hear me?" Tony asked, kneeling down next to the soldier. "Baby, it's me, Tony. Tony Stark."

Slowly, Steve's eyes cracked open. He opened his mouth to speak but he didn't have the energy.

"Hey, it's okay," Tony reassured him, "You're gonna be okay. We're here now and we're gonna take you home."

Tony picked the blonde up as gently as he could and carried him out of the room bridal style. Thor led the way back upstairs.

"Tony, Thor," Natasha called out. "We have to go! I've rigged the explosive device!"

"Shit," Tony mumbled. He and Thor sped up their exit and met the others upstairs. Kara was now with them, holding Loki's hand.

"We have to go," Natasha repeated. "Now."

"I told you there's others!" Loki yelled, "We can't leave them! Take her, I'll go back!"

Natasha shook her head and pushed him.

"You're not going back. We're leaving, now. We've accomplished our mission."

"She's right, let's go," Tony said.

With that, Thor took his brother by the arm and dragged him and Kara out. The group ran for several seconds and made it about a hundred feet away, missing the force of the explosion by just a second.

Though it was clear that the building was demolished, Loki was still trying to pull away from Thor's grasp to go back in.

"WE MUST GO BACK!" He yelled again, " There are others in there!"

Thor held him back.

"There's nothing left, Loki."

Angry, Loki turned his attention to Natasha.

"You! I told you there were others! You couldn't have waited a few moments?! Their blood is on_ your_ hands!"

"Guys, can we talk about this later?" Tony interrupted the argument. "I kinda wanna get Steve back to the medical bay."

Loki glared at Natasha.

"This isn't over."

Natasha opened her mouth to reply, but Clint pulled her away before she could.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

"Jesus Christ," Bruce whispered, as he looked at Steve.

Tony had laid his husband out on the bed in the medical unit. Steve's eyes were closed, but he was clearly breathing.

Bruce put a hand over his mouth, disgusted by the sight before him. Steve's captors had really done a number on him. He looked like he had been starved for weeks, and left to lie in a dirty bed.

Bruce noticed that Ami was equally disturbed.

"We, uh, have to clean him up to see if he has any injuries. But maybe… Maybe it would be good for Tony to help?" He then looked at the inventor. "Just because he might be more comfortable with you touching him. God knows what was done to him."

"Of course," Tony replied, "Get me some supplies."

Bruce and Ami scurried off to gather the necessary cleaning agents while Tony sat on the edge of Steve's bed. He rested a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Baby, I don't know if you're awake right now, or if you can hear me, but I promise it's okay. Whatever they did to you… we made them pay for it. And we're gonna take care of you and help you get well again."

Steve groaned very softly as he felt Tony's touches.

"It's okay. I promise it's okay," Tony repeated.

Ami and Bruce returned with the cleaning supplies shortly. It wasn't much, just some warm water, some antibacterial soap and a few soft hand towels.

Tony poured some of the soap into the water, then picked up a towel and dipped it in.

"Baby, I'm going to clean you up a little bit. I'll start with your arms, okay?"

Steve didn't respond, so Tony quietly began his task, doing his best to be as gentle as possible. He slowly cleared the dirt and sweat and what looked like traces of vomit off of Steve's forearm, the moved on to his shoulder. It took a while, but he eventually got both arms.

"I'm going to clean your face now," Tony told him. He didn't want to surprise Steve at all.

Steve groaned again, but he didn't seem to be against Tony's proposition, so Tony picked up another towel.

"Doesn't that feel better?" Tony whispered, as he wiped some dirt from Steve's cheek. "Maybe when we get back to New York you can have a real bath and you can relax."

Again Steve didn't respond. Bruce and Ami watched from a few feet away, but didn't interrupt until Tony had finished cleaning up everything that wasn't covered by Steve's clothing.

"We have to get him out of that," Bruce said, "To get him clean and examine him."

"I might need some help with that," Tony admitted. Without his suit it would be difficult for him to maneuver a full grown man out of his clothing and into something else, even if Steve was terribly thin now.

"Of course. Amy, can you get me a gown?"

Ami nodded and went to retrieve it while Bruce moved closer to his patient.

"We can start with his shirt."

"Did you hear that?" Tony questioned Steve. "We're going to take your shirt off. We'll be gentle."

No response.

Tony sighed, and the two men began to remove Steve's shirt.

"Fuck," Bruce gasped. Steve's ribs were sticking out, pushing up against his skin. His collarbone was equally visible. Yet, Steve's stomach was still round.

Hearing Bruce's reaction, Steve moaned. Then he began to cry. He was very quiet about it, but Tony noticed it immediately.

"Oh, God, baby, it's okay," Tony cooed, wrapping his arms around him. He didn't care if he got dirty. "It's okay. Bruce is just worried about you, but it's fine, you're going to be fine. Does it hurt anywhere?"

Steve just continued to cry silently.

"Alright, lets finish up with this then we can figure out what's going on," Bruce said. Together, he and Tony were able to wash Steve's chest, sides and back. Then it came time to clean his legs.

"You should do this," Bruce told Tony. "Just… try to clean him up as much as you can. I'll have to examine him to see if he was assaulted, unless he tells us otherwise."

Tony clenched his teeth, trying again to keep calm.

"Fine."

Bruce patted Tony on the shoulder.

"Call me when you're done. I'll help you get him into the gown."

00

As soon as Bruce and Ami left, Tony focused on his task. Steve had gotten quiet again and Tony wasn't entirely sure if he was asleep, so he told Steve every move he was going to make prior to making it, just in case he was listening.

It took a while but eventually Tony finished the job. He found an extra hospital gown and laid it over Steve's legs, not wanting to leave him exposed. Then he went to find Bruce.

As clinically as possible, Bruce and Tony helped Steve into a gown. He looked much better now that he was cleaned up, but he had begun to shiver. Bruce didn't even have to Ask Ami for blankets, she had seen it too and had already gotten them.

"There we go," Bruce said, under his breath, as he tucked the blankets around Steve. Steve made a small moaning sound and uncurled himself a little.

"He seems more comfortable now." Tony placed another pillow under Steve's head.

"I'm sure it feels good for him to be warm. We can let him rest for a bit, then Ami will do an exam. I don't think he has any mortal wounds otherwise he'd been even worse off. Ami can see if the, ah, fetuses are still viable."

"They're just fetuses now?" Tony asked. Everyone had been calling them 'babies' for a pretty long time.

Bruce frowned. He was going to reply but Ami beat him to it.

"It is easier to remain clinical in the face of what might be a tragedy," she explained, wrapping an arm around Bruce.

It was then that Tony realized it.

"Holy crap. You guys are sleeping together!"

He wasn't sure where it came from, it just suddenly made sense to him. The two had been spending nearly every day together, but he had been so focused on finding Steve that he hadn't considered it much.

"Tony!" Bruce growled, though it was playful.

"You really just figured this out now?" Ami grinned.

"Yes! I mean, it makes sense, I guess I just didn't put it together. Congrats, I guess? Are you guys, um, "official", as Steve would say?"

"I guess you can call it that," Bruce answered.

"Wow."

"Our relationship is not important right now, though," Ami stated. "We can discuss it when Steve has recovered."

"Yeah. You're right," Tony agreed.

He found a chair and pulled it near Steve's bed, not intending to leave his lover's side anytime soon.

00

On the other side of the helicarrier, a fight was breaking out. Loki had cornered Natasha.

"How can you raise children when you let one die so easily?!" Loki hissed, pushing Natasha up against a wall.

Though the agent could defend herself, Thor pulled his brother away.

"Loki, fighting will not solve anything," Thor said, setting Loki down when they were safely across the room.

Loki shoved Thor's hands away.

"It would teach her to consider her actions more thoroughly! And I could destroy you with magic, you know. Reduce you to a pile of blood and melted bone right here on the floor!"

Clint rolled his eyes.

"And you're one to talk, right? Because you were so merciful to the people of Earth. Tell me, Loki, do you have any idea how many families you destroyed? How many children lost fathers and mothers, or children who lost brothers and sisters? Before you go around judging everyone else you'd better take a long look in the mirror."

Knowing that Loki was likely to go after Clint, Thor reacted quickly. He took Loki by the arm and chained them both together again. Loki tried to move away, but the chain was unbreakable. He tried to use his magic to break free, but that didn't work either.

"Let me go!" He finally yelled, "Untie us!"

"No." Thor didn't move. "I am not going to let you hurt my friends. Besides, he has a point. You did not show mercy to those who got in your way."

"That was different!" Loki protested, "If-if a child had been there, I wouldn't have killed them!"

Thor didn't say anything. He just stared at Loki. He knew that eventually, his brother would get tired of arguing.

"So that's it? None of you have anything else to say?" Loki asked, angrily.

"We had a mission to accomplish. We had to get Steve out of there. We saved Kara. If we had known about the two others previously, we would've tried to save them. Natasha was just doing her job," Clint said, as calmly as possible.

"I _told you_ that there were others," he replied.

"We didn't have the time to check around and figure out where they were. We had to get Steve out as quickly as possible. You know that."

At that moment, Loki wanted nothing more than to decimate the people before him. It was impossible, though. The chain not only restricted Loki's movement but blocked him from using magic. It did no good to waste his energy now, and so Loki did his best to calm down as well.

00

Two hours after he had been cleaned up, Steve opened his eyes again. Tony was still sitting near him. The billionaire smiled when he saw that Steve was awake.

"Hey baby," Tony whispered, standing up. "How are you feeling?"

Steve looked at him blankly.

"Where am I?"

"You're on the helicarrier. We got you out of the building a few hours ago."

"Oh."

Steve sighed and slowly moved his hand so it was resting on his stomach.

"I know you're probably still tired, but Bruce and Ami really need to examine you. Is that okay? Or if you want, we can talk about what happened, but if there's anything wrong, they want to treat it," Tony said.

Steve shook his head.

"You got Kara?"

"Yes, we did," Tony answered, "We got her out."

"Good. What about Holly?"

Tony didn't recognize the name, but he didn't want Steve to get upset either. Loki had mentioned that there were others in the building, maybe Holly was one of them.

"Don't worry about it," Tony replied, "We'll discuss all that later. Now, can you tell me if anything hurts you?"

"Everything hurts." Steve tried to stretch, but the movement was too painful.

"I'm going to go get Bruce. I'll be right back, I promise," Tony said. "Everything is going to be fine."

00

Bruce and Ami had finished their assessments of Steve's condition prior to the helicarrier landing.

The twins were still alive, probably only because of the super serum. If they were being carried by a regular person, they would have died.

Steve was malnourished and had some bed sores, but both of those issues could be treated.

The biggest problem seemed to be Steve's despondence. He seemed very reluctant to talk to anyone, even Tony. He was also refusing to eat. Ami had set up an iv with saline and nutrients to at least get something into him, but that was as far as she could get. Unsure of what else to do, they transferred him to the medical center at the tower once they arrived, hoping that with enough rest he might start to return to his normal self.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

"There's no evidence of sexual assault nor is there any evidence of physical abuse besides the starvation and messy state he was found in," Bruce explained.

He, Ami, the other Avengers and Loki were all in a room with Fury, going over Steve's condition.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure that they starved him. He refuses to eat. We've been having to give him nutrients via IV."

Fury nodded then turned to Loki, who was still chained to Thor.

"And did you see any evidence of physical torture when you first went in?"

"No. They had it set up as if they were all living there. The Captain was being held in the basement. Of course, there were others there who we possibly could have interviewed, but they're dead now."

Natasha hit the table.

"Will you stop it? I'm getting really tired of hearing about this."

"I'll stop when you acknowledge what you've done," Loki shot back.

"Stop it, both of you!" Fury yelled, startling both of them. "We're here to discuss Captain Rogers, not listen to your bickering. Now, Bruce, Dr. Yeh, are the children that he was carrying alive?"

"They are," Ami answered, "Shocking as it is. If it were anyone else carrying them they'd be gone."

"I see. SHIELD has been covering for you all and for the Captain and will continue to do so. I assume that you both feel that Captain Roger's injuries are more psychological in nature?"

Ami and Bruce looked at each other.

"We believe that they are in large part psychological. Perhaps physical deprivation played a part in getting him to that point though," Ami replied.

"Alright. We have a psychologist at SHIELD that I'll have sent over. He's one of the most highly sought after in in the country. Maybe he can get to the bottom of what happened and what needs to be done to get the Captain back on his feet. Is that okay by you, Stark?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever it takes."

"Good. I'll meet with you in two weeks from today. Contact me if there are any changes in the Captain's condition. Oh, and one last thing - what is _he_ still doing here?" Fury motioned towards Loki.

"We've been back for less than a day," Tony said, "Thor just hasn't had time to return him to Asgard yet."

"Right. Well take him back soon. Let me know if he needs a reference or anything for Odin."

"A reference?" Thor asked.

"Yeah. Like if he needs some type of written proof that he did what he was supposed to do."

"My word will be enough to secure Loki the benefits he was promised."

"Okay, then." Fury moved towards the door. "I'll talk to you all soon."

00

Loki held Thor back as the others left the conference room.

"What is it? The director was right, I should take you back to Asgard soon."

"Yes, about that," Loki started, a grin spreading across his face, "I believe that I was also promised that the girl would be sent to live with relatives or to a good home. I've yet to see that happen."

Thor sighed. Of course Loki would make things difficult.

"I do not _have_ to allow you to stay just because Stark promised you something."

Suddenly Loki's expression turned serious, then almost sad.

"I want to see it through," he finally admitted. "It means a lot to me."

Thor studied his brother for a moment, trying to gauge whether he was lying. It was extremely hard to tell with Loki, but hundreds of years of living with him had given Thor the ability to pick up on certain physical cues. He determined that Loki was likely telling the truth.

"...Fine," Thor agreed. "But you are to stay out of the way - no, you'll remain chained to me, just to be sure - and you're not to fight with the Widow!"

"But she's wrong! She killed an innocent!"

"And you destroyed innocent people too. You're both guilty. Your only choice is to either let it go or keep it to yourself, otherwise I'm taking you back immediately. So it is up to you which is more important, making your point or seeing out what was promised to you."

Loki frowned and crossed his arms.

"You drive a hard bargain."

"I have to, with the god of lies for a brother."

00

Lizzie had been asking to see Steve since he had first been brought back to the tower. Tony had refused her requests, feeling afraid to let her see the poor condition her father was in. But as the first day back came to an end and there was no improvement, Tony began to reconsider.

He had spent all afternoon with Steve, trying to get him to talk. Steve would rarely speak, answering questions with one-word answers if he even answered at all. Trying to get him to eat was an even more impossible task. The best Tony had been able to do was get him to take a few small sips of water.

Tony wondered if seeing Lizzie might snap Steve out of it. If he wasn't going to try to recover for himself, he might do it for his daughter.

At seven that evening, Tony brought her down to the medical center. She had Chess with her and some pictures that she had drawn for Steve while they had been looking for him.

"Remember, honey, daddy will look a little different than you remember him," Tony reminded her. He hoped she would not be too shocked by Steve's appearance. "Try not to point it out to him, okay?"

"Okay."

Tony led her towards the area where Steve was resting and knocked on the wall to get his attention.

"Darling, you have a visitor!"

Confused by the upbeat tone of Tony's voice, Steve slowly turned towards him. When he saw Lizzie, his eyes grew wider.

"Hi daddy!" Lizzie greeted him excitedly. "I've missed you so much!"

She ran over to his bedside and did her best to give him a hug.

"I made you pictures, daddy! And Chess is here to say hi too!"

She pushed the stuffed cat against Steve's face, pretending that Chess was giving him a kiss.

For the first time, Steve actually seemed like he wanted to speak.

"Hi, Elizabeth," he said, very softly. "I've missed you too."

"Every night I prayed for you, that you were okay and that we would find you. I missed you _so _much," she repeated.

Steve half smiled.

"I'm sorry that daddy doesn't look so good right now," he said.

Lizzie shrugged, "As long as you're back! Wow, your tummy got really big."

"Lizzie, what'd I tell you?" Tony warned her.

"Sorry, but it did."

Tony rolled his eyes. Since Steve had lost so much weight his stomach looked bigger than it usually would have at this stage.

Steve didn't take offense to it though. He didn't even get upset when Lizzie playfully stroked his face and reminded him that he needed to shave.

Eventually, Tony called Pepper down to take Lizzie back upstairs. It wasn't long before he and Steve were alone again.

"Not sure who she gets the brutal honesty from," Tony told him. "I mean, I certainly have more tact than that."

"No, she definitely gets it from you," Steve replied. "But I'm sure she'll find nicer ways to say it as she grows up."

"Eh, well, _maybe_ she gets it from me. Maybe."

Instead of responding, Steve curled up once again.

"So, no more talking for tonight?" Tony asked.

He heard Steve sigh.

"It's okay. I won't push you. I'm just… worried. I wish I could help you. I want to help you, but I can't unless you tell me more about what happened and what you're feeling, and even then I probably wouldn't be good at it because I'm not good at emotional stuff, but at least I could try and you're not listening to me are you." The last part was more of a statement than a question.

When Steve again refused to answer, Tony shook his head.

"I'm trying. I really am. Go to sleep if you want, I'll be right here by your side if you need anything."

Tony sat down in the chair that he'd been using for most of the day and flicked off the light above Steve's bed. Before he got too comfortable, he did his best to pull the covers up around Steve's body. He still seemed to get chills a lot, even though the room was warm.

The billionaire had just sat back down when he heard it.

"Thank you," Steve whispered.

"Anytime," Tony replied.

00

Early the next morning, the SHIELD appointed psychologist arrived. Tony looked him over but couldn't get a clear impression. He decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

The therapist was short, maybe 5'3 at most, with a bald head and a goatee. He was stocky, had an earring in one ear and wore a pair of jeans and a button down black shirt. He dragged a black rolling briefcase behind him.

"I'm Anthony D'Amico," he said, holding out his hand to Tony.

Tony shook it.

"Tony Stark."

"It's great to meet you. Director Fury gave me a copy of Captain Roger's case file and I've looked it over. Has anything changed in the last day or so?" The therapist pulled a folder out, "It says that refuses to eat, bathe and speak more than a few words."

"Last night I took our daughter down to see him. It was the first time she had seen him since we got him back. It seemed to pull him out of it for a few minutes, like he was putting effort into talking to her, but then he got quiet again when she left. I was also able to get him to drink a little bit of water, but that was it. I'm...I'm honestly very worried about him. I understand that he's been traumatized but he's like a completely different person."

"The change in behavior with your daughter is with him is interesting. It gives me a place to start at least. Is he ready to see me?"

"About as ready as he'll ever be, I'm sure," Tony replied. "Come with me."

Tony led the doctor down the hall and towards the elevator, then took them both up to the floor that the medical center was on.

"I always warn visitors, he looks a lot different than he used to," Tony said, as they stood outside.

"Thanks for the head's up."

Tony nodded and opened the door. Bruce was inside, reading something on his computer.

"Bruce, meet Dr. D'Amico," Tony introduced them. "Dr. D'Amico, this is Bruce Banner."

Bruce walked over and shook the therapist's hand.

"SHIELD sent you?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then. Ami's just finishing giving him another exam."

"I read that you and Dr. Yeh are his regular physicians?"

"She's licensed, I just have medical knowledge."

"Okay."

Right then, Ami walked by.

"You must be the SHIELD therapist. I'm Dr. Yeh," she extended her hand. "Steve is ready to see you."

Tony led Dr. D'Amico back towards Steve's bed. He wasn't surprised to see that Steve was curled up yet again, staring at the wall.

"Steve, Dr. D'Amico is here," Tony called out.

Nothing.

"He's the psychologist that SHIELD sent over to talk to you," Tony tried again.

There was no response.

"Is he sleeping?" Dr. D'Amico asked, unsure if his patient was even hearing what was going on.

"Not sleeping," Steve replied.

Tony sighed.

"Can you at least turn around and look at Dr. D'Amico? Come on, Steve, you usually have more respect than that."

For a few seconds, Steve didn't move. Then he slowly pushed himself over so that he was lying on his back. He reached toward the side of the bed, trying to find the button that would let him raise it up so he was sitting.

"Here," Tony found the button and pressed it. Soon enough Steve was sitting straight up.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Tony said, "Just call JARVIS if you need anything. He's everywhere so just… Just ask for me or Bruce or Ami and we'll be right over."

"Thank you," the psychologist replied.

Tony forced a smile and walked away.

00

Once Tony was gone, Dr. D'Amico began talking.

"Thank you for sitting up, but next time you can lie down if you prefer it. I want you to be comfortable when we have our sessions."

Steve stared at him, but didn't reply.

"So, a little about me. My name is Anthony D'Amico. You may call me Anthony, if you like, or Dr. D'Amico. Whichever you prefer. I have a PhD in psychology and my specialty is trauma, like the one that you've experienced." The doctor pulled a notepad and a pen out of his bag, "Can you tell me about yourself?"

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Everyone knows," he whispered.

"Everyone knows what? About who you are?"

Steve nodded.

"Okay, well, I don't know that much about you other than the basics. Tell me something I don't know. What about your daughter - what's her name?"

"Lizzie," Steve said, softly. "Elizabeth."

"Uh huh, and how old is Lizzie?"

"Four."

"And now you're pregnant again."

"Obviously," Steve replied, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

The doctor stayed quiet for a moment, trying to assess the situation. He took out his cell phone and took a photo of Steve.

"Look at this," he said, handing the phone over. "Look at yourself."

Steve stared at the photo. He looked nothing like he remembered. His hair was long and matted and he had begun to grow a beard. There were bags under his eyes and his cheekbones jutted out in a disturbing fashion. His face almost looked like a skull with hair.

The sight was too much. A tear ran down Steve's cheek, followed by several more. He handed the phone back to the therapist and continued to cry.

"It's awful," he whispered, looking at the doctor. The tears made his vision blurry and made it hard to talk without sobbing.

"You can recover, though. You needed to see that. Now we can start."

00

Dr. D'Amico emerged from the medical center close to two hours later. He was greeted by Tony.

"How'd it go?" He asked nervously.

"The main thing I got from it was that he felt hopeless, and I don't think that's something he's ever experienced before."

"Never?"

"Think about it. When he was younger he must have held some hope of joining the military, otherwise he wouldn't have kept trying to get in. He held out hope of finding his friend Bucky, according to his files, and did locate and free him. Even when Loki attacked, he felt that together you could win. When he was locked up he had no means of escape, and even he could've gotten out, there was the matter of the other children there. He mentioned the names Kara and Holly."

"We believe that Holly was also being held captive in the same building. Her father was being used by Klineschmidt to do research. Our main objective was to get Steve and the Klineschmidt's daughter Kara out, we didn't plan for anyone else. Holly and her father were lost in the explosion."

"Has anyone told Captain Rogers this?"

Tony shook his head.

"No. We were all afraid it might depress him further. He seemed bad off enough as it was."

"Probably for the best. I'd like to see him again at the end of the week to hopefully get a clearer picture. For now, I'd say bring Lizzie to see him every other day. Try to get him to take small steps - for instance, see if you can get him to eat an apple or a piece of toast. Don't push him past that, but reward him if he does. Tell him that he did a good job and so on."

"Alright. We'll see you soon, then. Thanks."

"No problem at all," the doctor replied. "It's the least I can do, considering all he's done for us."


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

Tony followed the psychologist's advice and tried to push Steve to take small steps towards recovery every day. It worked in that he was able to get Steve to do things he hadn't done since he had arrived.

For instance, one day he managed to get Steve to eat an entire orange. It wasn't nearly enough food for him but it was a start.

Steve still seemed to be doing his best to talk to Lizzie, and that made Tony happy. Sometimes he even had a short conversation with Tony, too.

Dr. D'Amico arrived as promised a few days after his first session and was impressed by Steve's progress. After talking with Steve for two hours, he emerged with an idea to help Steve even more.

"I think you should do an ultrasound to find out the genders of the babies." The doctor looked at Ami, "He's far enough along for that, right?"

"Well, yes," the doctor answered. "It could be done."

"That's actually a really good idea," Tony said. "It'll give him something to hold onto, some type of hope for the future seeing that the babies are really real and not just blobs on a screen."

"I wouldn't call them 'blobs' but you're on the right track. I think it would inspire him to some extent," Dr. D'Amico replied.

"Alright," Ami agreed. "Bruce and Tony and I will discuss it with him, and if he's willing to know their genders we'll do an exam."

"Wonderful," the therapist smiled. "Let me know how it goes. I'll be back in a few days as well."

00

Steve hadn't been so sure about finding out the genders of the twins, but Tony told him that Natasha and Clint were excited to find out (they really were) and so he ended up consenting.

So, the entire group was gathered around his bed. Thor and Loki were even there, though they remained far away from Natasha and Clint as not to start any arguments.

Steve tensed up as Ami applied the ultrasound gel to his belly. Tony took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It helped - Steve began to calm down soon enough.

"There's the first one," Ami said, after moving the ultrasound wand around for a few minutes. "And… it's a little boy!"

"Oh! A little boy! I bet he'll look just like you!" Natasha squealed, hugging Clint.

Everyone looked at her, stunned by her girlish outburst.

"What, can't a mother get excited about her unborn children?" She snipped.

Everyone turned back towards Steve.

"Here's the other one… Wow, it looks like you've gotten the best of both worlds," Ami addressed Natasha and Clint. "The other one's a little girl."

"A little girl!" Natasha squealed again. This time no one acknowledged her, afraid that she might break their legs if they got her upset.

"A daughter. Wow. Any dude that goes near her is gonna have to face my crossbow," Clint said.

Even Steve seemed happy. He was smiling - really smiling - for the first time since he'd returned.

"Lizzie's gonna have some cool new friends," Tony squeezed Steve's hand again.

"I'm excited to see what they'll look like," Steve said, looking at the screen.

Ami was grinning as well. "I'll print some pictures for you two and for Natasha and Clint, but congratulations, they seem healthy."

00

Finding out the twin's genders turned a switch in Steve's mind, just as Dr. D'Amico expected it might. The same afternoon that he found out their genders, Steve decided to take a bath.

This was easier said than done. He was still very weak and Tony ended up bringing him up to their own rooms. There, he undressed Steve and helped him into the bathtub. Pepper had taken Lizzie for the day to play with Kara, who she had also been caring for, so it was just the two men alone in their quarters.

Steve sighed as he felt the warm water on his skin. It had been so long since he had felt anything remotely like it and it relaxed him almost instantly.

"Feels good?" Tony asked, dipping his hand in to check the temperature.

"Yeah…" Steve answered, "It feels great."

"Good." Tony picked up a bar of soap and a washcloth. "I'd be happy to help you out, if you like."

"I'd like that."

Tony proceeded to bathe Steve, cleaning his very gently as not to cause him any pain. Steve continued to relax, loving the feeling of being rid of the sweat and grime that had accumulated on him over the past days. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it previously. He also considered how bad he had probably smelled. His friends and Tony were good to not have said anything about it.

"There we go," Tony said, putting the washcloth down. "Now for your hair. Do you want to do that part yourself?"

"Yeah. Actually, can you give me a few minutes?" An idea had suddenly crossed Steve's mind. "I'll let you know when I'm done."

Tony raised an eyebrow, unsure of why Steve would want to be alone.

"I'll be fine. I have a surprise for you."

"Alright," Tony agreed, "I'll be right outside but please, please call if you need anything."

Steve smiled. "I will."

Tony nodded and got up, then left the room.

00

Now alone, Steve went about the process of washing his hair. When he finished that, he found a razor. He hadn't shaved in weeks and it was high time that he did. He definitely needed the mirror, though, so he pulled himself out of the bath, wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way over to the sink.

Fifteen minutes later he was done, but standing for so long had sapped his strength. Even with the serum, he needed food to keep going and his stomach was now reminding him that he hadn't eaten in days.

Leaning up against the sink, he called out for Tony, who came rushing into the room.

"Hey, I was just getting worried."

The brunette noticed Steve begin to sway and caught him just in time.

"Easy there," Tony said, wrapping an arm around Steve's waist. He led Steve over to the toilet, closed the lid and sat him down.

"Just rest."

"Sorry," Steve replied, a red tinge coming to his cheeks. He felt embarrassed being so weak.

"Don't be. You look good, by the way. Much better without the beard."

"Thanks. I didn't like it much either."

Right then, Steve's stomach growled loudly. Tony smirked.

"Why don't we get you dried off and into bed and I'll bring you something to eat. Anything you want."

"Tony Stark, billionaire playboy philanthropist, is going to bring me dinner in bed?"

"It's just billionaire philanthropist now but yes, he is. Don't tell anyone though, I don't wanna ruin my image."

Steve shook his head and let Tony help him up.

00

As the week progressed things continued to go well for Steve. He was eating normal meals and had been acting much like he used to. He spent time with the team, talked with them and ate with them and joked with them.

But behind the scenes, Steve's environment was very much controlled. Steve's therapist had given Tony orders not to place any undue stress on him and so Tony made sure that everyone knew not to bring up the events that happened unless Steve brought it up first. Thor had even managed to get Loki to stay out of the way. He'd had to threaten to take him back to Asgard immediately, but it had worked. As time went by Steve began to regain both weight and strength, and everyone seemed happy.

Two weeks after finding out the babies' genders, there had been another cause for excitement.

Natasha had been giving Steve a much-needed haircut when Steve suddenly gasped.

Worried that something had gone wrong, Natasha pulled her scissors away.

"What's going on?!" Tony asked, quickly coming to Steve's side.

"Are you okay?!" came Natasha's voice.

"I, uh. One of them just kicked. Hard. Sorry, I wasn't expecting it."

Tony and Natasha breathed audible sighs of relief.

"Sorry," Steve apologized again, right before cringing for a second time.

"Those kids must be strong," Tony said, "To be beating poor Cap up like that."

"Hit me right in the ribs," Steve hissed. He didn't seem upset about it though. If anything, he almost seemed happy.

"You alright there?" Natasha questioned, wondering why Steve was sort of smiling despite being in pain.

"Yeah. I haven't really felt them besides slight movements so it's kinda nice, in a weird way," Steve explained.

"Can I feel it?" Natasha looked at him hopefully.

"Of course." Steve took her hand and placed it on his stomach. One of the babies kicked again, and Natasha's eyes lit up.

"Wow," was all she said, "That's… amazing."

Steve grinned. "Your kids are gonna be strong like you and Clint."

"And like their Uncle Steve too," Natasha added. "Thank you again."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for the sorta-cliffhanger. I'll write more as I can.**

Ch. 13

Time flew by and Steve continued to get better. Before everyone knew it, he was 25 weeks along.

Steve was sitting in the common area with Tony, Lizzie and Natasha when it happened. Pepper walked in, holding Kara's hand. She had come to talk to Tony.

"Hey. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Pepper left Kara to play with Lizzie while she and Tony move to the hallway to talk. Steve couldn't hear the entire conversation, but he did make out Tony saying how happy he was. When the two returned, he questioned them.

"So what's the big news?"

"The paperwork has almost gone through. In a few days I'll be Kara's legal guardian. If all goes well I'll be able to adopt her soon," Pepper replied, smiling.

Steve was stunned. The past few weeks he hadn't really thought much about Kara, or what had happened to her. He had been so wrapped up in his own problems that it had slipped his mind.

And then, another thought hit him. What had happened to Holly?

Steve paled. No one had mentioned her. That couldn't have been a good sign.

"Hey, are you okay?" Pepper asked.

"Holly. What happened to her?" Steve's voice was trembling.

Tony, Pepper and Natasha all looked at each other.

"Maybe you should take Kara and Lizzie," Natasha suggested.

Pepper nodded in agreement and quietly took the young girls out of the room. Meanwhile, Steve could feel his hands starting to shake. He had an awful feeling about this.

"She's dead, isn't she."

"She… Yes, she's gone," Tony answered.

"H-How?" Steve's hands were shaking harder now. He had failed her. The little girl who had worried more about him than herself. He'd failed her and now she was dead.

"When we went to get you out…" Natasha trailed off.

"She died in the explosion. Her father too, right?"

"Her father died too, yes," Natasha whispered.

"No one told me." Steve was starting to tear up. "But I didn't ask, either. She was a good kid… that's not fair…" He began to sob.

Tony sighed and rubbed Steve's back, unsure of what to say.

00

Finding out Holly's fate set Steve back tremendously. Almost immediately he reverted back to how he had been when he was first recovered. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't shower. He spent days just lying in bed, staring at the wall.

All he could think about was Holly and how he had abandoned her. He had let her die. He wondered if it was painful, or if it was instant. He wondered if she was angry at him for what he'd done, or rather, what he had failed to do.

He could never forgive himself. Ever. He didn't deserve to eat - Holly couldn't eat anymore. She couldn't read, either. Or walk around. Or do anything, because she was gone.

No one knew what to do. Any attempts that they made to explain to Steve that he had done nothing wrong fell on deaf ears. Even Dr. D'Amico had been unable to get through to him.

Ami and Bruce began to express their concerns that the twins might be harmed. They had been lucky in the past, but they were still developing. Steve's refusal to eat was putting them in unnecessary danger. They had told this to Steve, too, but he didn't seem to care, and so they once again hooked up an IV and hoped for the best.

00

It ended up being Loki that was able to snap Steve out of it. He hadn't done it in a kind or gentle way, either.

Thor refused to unchain Loki, so Loki created a hologram of himself and sent it down to the medical center to find Steve.

Steve, of course, was shocked when he woke up and saw Loki staring at him. The god had a scowl on his face and was pacing back and forth, arms crossed behind his back.

"Hi?" Steve asked, confused.

Loki stopped pacing and glared at him.

"Is there something that you want?" Steve tried again.

Loki stepped closer to Steve's bed.

"I want you to know that you are a selfish, awful excuse for a parent. You do not deserve to bear children nor do you deserve to have the one that you and Stark are raising. You lie here, day and night, drowning in self pity - well guess what? There are _other people_ besides Captain Steve Rogers in the world!

You disgust me," Loki continued. "And I've seen many, _many_ terrible things in the centuries that I've been around, but you… You're on the top of the list. You didn't save the little girl - very sad, but to put two unborn children in danger, to deny your child love and affection over it? It seems to me that you don't know how lucky you truly are. I would give anything to be able to see my children, to be able to hold them and love them as you can with Elizabeth, yet you throw the privilege away like it's nothing but garbage! The others won't say it but I will - if you continue on this route then your family would be better off without you to drag them down."

Steve's jaw dropped.

"I-" He started, but Loki cut him off.

"I don't want to hear your pitiful excuses. Either forgive yourself and move on or die here in this room, just do _something_."

Steve didn't know what to say. He knew that to an extent, Loki was right. He was being selfish to put his own feelings before those who depended on him.

Loki disappeared a second later. It wasn't long after that Steve began to feel pain. A lot of pain. A familiar type of pain - just like what he had felt when Lizzie was ready to be born. Quickly, he called out for help.


End file.
